The Trump administration has published an initial set of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, though the full release of hundreds of thousands of files appears to be delayed. The files were published on a Department of Justice website, meeting a legal deadline set by the U.S. Congress.
Epstein Files Release Delayed
It is not yet clear how many files have been withheld. Before the release, U.S. Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department was still working to redact information to protect victims.
Blanche stated that “several hundred thousand” documents were released today, with “several hundred thousand more” expected “over the next couple of weeks.”
Last month, Congress almost unanimously approved a bill forcing the release of files pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. The move followed a years-long campaign by victims and others who believe powerful associates of Epstein have avoided scrutiny for their alleged involvement in a sex-trafficking ring.
The legislation allows for the redaction of victims’ personal and medical details, as well as information that could jeopardize ongoing investigations or national security. Material depicting abuse can also be withheld, but documents cannot be censored to prevent “embarrassment” or “reputational harm” to public figures.
“We are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce,” Blanche told Fox News prior to the release. “Making sure that every victim — their name, their identity, their story, to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected.”
Democrats reacted with anger and threatened legal action if the deadline was not met.
President Trump recently requested the Justice Department investigate Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats, a request the department agreed to, raising concerns among campaigners that the investigation could be used to justify withholding files.
Trump initially opposed the legislation for months, calling its supporters’ efforts a “hoax,” but he changed his position before Congress voted on the bill, which passed both houses almost unanimously.
Trump held a press briefing about drug prices ahead of the files’ release but declined to take questions. He was friends with Epstein for approximately 20 years, and flight logs show he travelled on Epstein’s jet at least seven times in the 1990s.
In 2019, Trump said he had a “falling out a long time ago with him” and claimed he hadn’t spoken to Epstein in 15 years, though he did not elaborate on the reason at the time. In July, Trump stated they fell out because Epstein “stole” young women who were working at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
One of those women was Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide at her property in Western Australia in April.
Fresh Documents Follow Previous Releases
The latest release of documents will likely include many of the Epstein-related materials that have already been made public. In February, the Justice Department released what it called the “first phase of declassified Epstein files,” but acknowledged that most of the documents had already been released publicly. These included an evidence list, flight logs, a contact book with redacted numbers, and a “masseuse list” with all names blacked out.
Months later, U.S. Attorney-General Pam Bondi said the remaining files were “never going to see the light of day,” stating they contained child pornography. In recent weeks, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have selectively released material gathered through their investigation, including several batches of photos, some featuring Trump, video of Epstein’s private island, and email conversations with several associates.
Epstein died in jail in 2019, in a ruling of suicide, while awaiting trial for creating a “vast network of underage victims” whom he sexually abused almost daily, and for using the exploited girls to recruit more victims into an expanding trafficking ring. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping him groom victims and was sentenced to 20 years in prison the following year.
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