DOJ Releases 3 Million Pages in Epstein Files

The U.S. Justice Department released more than three million pages of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. This action follows a law Congress passed last fall that required the department to share unclassified records about Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The files went online at the DOJ's Epstein Library website, marking a major step in making case materials public.

Background

Jeffrey Epstein was a financier who faced charges for sex crimes against underage girls. In 2019, federal prosecutors in New York accused him of running a network that exploited dozens of minors at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach. He recruited girls as young as 14 with cash payments. Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell while awaiting trial that year.

His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted and is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the abuse scheme. The case drew attention because Epstein knew many powerful people, including former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. Both men have said they did nothing wrong and had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Trump said he cut ties with Epstein years ago. Clinton has called for the files to come out.

Last July, the Trump administration said it would not release more Epstein files. This drew criticism from Democrats and others who thought the government was hiding information. FBI Director Kash Patel and former Deputy Director Dan Bongino had earlier accused officials of covering things up before they joined the administration.

Congress responded with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Lawmakers passed it overwhelmingly, and Trump signed it on November 19. The law gave the DOJ 30 days to release all unclassified records, with exceptions to protect victims' privacy or national security. The deadline was December 19, but the department missed it.

The DOJ started sharing some files last month. Those included about 12,000 documents and 125,000 pages. They had a 1996 FBI complaint, details on probes into possible accomplices, and thousands of photos from FBI searches of Epstein's New York and U.S. Virgin Islands properties after his 2019 arrest.

Key Details

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the release at a news conference at DOJ headquarters on Friday. He said the new batch includes three million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images. In total, the department reviewed six million documents, but held back some because of child sexual abuse material and victim protections.

A team of 500 DOJ attorneys worked around the clock for weeks to review and redact the files. They blurred faces of women other than Maxwell in images. Blanche said mistakes could happen and victims could contact the department to fix any errors. No redactions were made for national security reasons.

New Documents Released

One key item is a chart showing Epstein's connections to employees and associates. It lists names in categories like day of arrest, week of arrest, and weeks after. Some faces are visible, including Maxwell, her associate Jean-Luc Brunel, Epstein's lawyer, accountant, and assistant. Many names are blacked out.

Another document is part of Epstein's original 2005 indictment from Florida. This 100-page file details 58 out of 60 charges against him for actions toward six victims. It had never been public before. Epstein later got a plea deal for lesser charges and a non-prosecution agreement, which many called unfair.

By Friday afternoon, the DOJ had uploaded three data sets to its website. One set alone has over 300,000 items.

Blanche addressed delays and criticism. He denied that the process was slowed to protect anyone, including Trump.

'I take umbrage at the suggestion, which is totally false, that the attorney general or this Department does not take child exploitation or sex trafficking seriously or that we somehow do not want to protect victims.' – Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche

He said there was no White House oversight on what to release. If the files show evidence of abuse by others, the DOJ will pursue charges. Lawmakers can work with the department to see unredacted versions. The DOJ will send Congress details on redactions and names of officials in the files.

Some lawyers say the new files include survivors' names despite promises to protect them.

What This Means

Democrats have questioned whether the DOJ released everything. They think the department held back files to shield Trump, who knew Epstein for years. Blanche pushed back, saying the public will not find proof of abuse by high-profile men in these documents. He noted a public hunger for information that may not be met.

The release builds on files shared last month. It adds far more material, like videos and the Florida indictment. This could shed light on Epstein's network and early investigations. Prior releases had photos of Clinton, but no accusations against him.

Blanche said every document mentioning Trump will come out if it follows the law. He stressed no effort to hide names.

'We did not protect President [Donald] Trump, we didn't protect or not protect anybody. There's a hunger, a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents … there's nothing I can do about that.' – Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche

The DOJ withheld 200,000 pages. Some contain sensitive material. Congress may review more. Victims' lawyers report some names slipped through redactions. The full impact will depend on what reporters, lawyers, and the public find as they go through the huge archive.

This is the biggest disclosure yet in the Epstein case. It comes after years of demands for transparency. The files are now on the DOJ website for anyone to download and examine.