The Department of Justice announced Friday that it has completed its review of the Jeffrey Epstein files and has released roughly 3 million additional documents to the public, marking one of the final steps in a disclosure process mandated by Congress.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the latest release fulfills the requirements of a law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump that ordered the publication of records related to Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender.
“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive documentation – document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance with the act,” Blanche told reporters. He said the department has submitted its final report to Congress and published written justifications for redactions in the Federal Register, which he described as completing the DOJ’s obligations under the law.
Blanche acknowledged that the document release is unlikely to resolve public speculation surrounding the Epstein case. “There’s a hunger or a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents,” he said, adding that continued interest was expected regardless of how much material is released.
He also rejected suggestions that the department has withheld information to protect powerful individuals, saying the DOJ has not declined to prosecute anyone if evidence supported criminal charges. “There’s this built-in assumption that somehow there’s this hidden tranche of information of men that we know about, that we’re covering up, or that we’re choosing not to prosecute. That is not the case,” Blanche said.
According to Blanche, if evidence emerges that allows prosecutors to move forward against others involved in abuse or trafficking, the department would do so. However, he cautioned that the documents themselves may not contain the revelations some members of the public expect.
Among the materials included in the release are tips the FBI received through its National Threat Operations Center, including claims involving both Epstein and former President Trump. Internal DOJ emails indicate the information was compiled in August as submissions from “Trump accusers,” with FBI staff noting that “some of these individuals are reporting second-hand information.”
The Justice Department stated that the tips lack credibility. In a statement, a DOJ spokesperson said, “This production may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the Act.” The spokesperson added that some claims against Trump were submitted shortly before the 2020 election and were “unfounded and false.”
The newly released documents represent the largest public disclosure of Epstein-related materials to date. The release follows criticism from lawmakers and transparency advocates who pressed the department for clarity on when the process would conclude.
Under the law signed by Trump, the DOJ was given 30 days to review and release the files, setting a Dec. 19 deadline. The department has argued that meeting the deadline was unrealistic due to the extensive redactions required to protect victims’ identities. Critics, however, have claimed the redactions went beyond what the law allows.
Blanche said the DOJ has now released a total of 6 million pages, a volume he compared to “two Eiffel towers.”
That characterization, and the department’s overall transparency, has been questioned by some lawmakers. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a co-sponsor of the disclosure bill, said the numbers raise concerns about what remains withheld.
“The DOJ said it identified over 6 million potentially responsive pages but is releasing only about 3.5 million after review and redactions,” Khanna said. “This raises questions as to why the rest are being withheld.”
Khanna said he plans to closely review the release to determine whether key materials are included, such as FBI victim interview summaries, draft indictments from a 2007 Florida investigation, and files recovered from Epstein’s computers. He warned that failing to release those records could undermine public confidence.
“Failing to release these files only shields the powerful individuals who were involved and hurts the public’s trust in our institutions,” Khanna said.
