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Thousands of Epstein files likely to be released today, will shed light on sex trafficking probe
Trump was once socially acquainted with Epstein but has denied any wrongdoing and says he cut ties with him years before Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida.
The US Justice Department faces a December 19 deadline to release a long-awaited trove of records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, under a new law mandating disclosure of most unclassified materials tied to the case.
The deadline follows President Donald Trump’s signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, after the bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.
The law gave the Justice Department 30 days to make public records from the DOJ, FBI and US attorneys' offices concerning Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking-related crimes.
While the Act does not specify an exact time for release, CNN has reported that the disclosure could come “down to the wire,” citing sources familiar with the process.
The delay is attributed to the scale of the material and the need for extensive redactions. According to the report, individual attorneys have been reviewing more than 1,000 documents each since the Thanksgiving holiday.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News that the department will release “several hundred thousand documents” on Friday, with more files to follow in the coming weeks.
“There’s a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are protecting every single victim,” Blanche said, adding that no new charges were imminent.
Under the law, the Justice Department must publish the files in a searchable and downloadable format. They are expected to be hosted on the DOJ's FOIA library, though officials have not ruled out a dedicated transparency portal.
The Act allows for redactions to protect victims’ identities and personal or medical information, and to prevent the disclosure of child sexual abuse material.
Records may also be withheld if their release would jeopardise an active investigation, reveal classified national security information, or depict graphic images of death or physical abuse. Any redactions must be explained to Congress.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and senior DOJ officials have previously indicated that some portions of the files will be redacted, a stance that has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said a partial release would amount to a “cover up,” arguing that the administration had 30 days to release all required files.
The Epstein case remains politically charged. Trump was once socially acquainted with Epstein but has denied any wrongdoing and says he cut ties with him years before Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to declassify Epstein-related files, but later resisted disclosure, warning it could set a dangerous precedent for releasing internal investigative records. He ultimately reversed course under pressure from Congress.
Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, a death that fuelled years of conspiracy theories and demands for greater transparency.
Survivors and advocates have long sought answers about Epstein’s network of associates and the handling of earlier investigations, including a controversial plea deal that shielded him from federal prosecution for years.
While expectations of a definitive “client list” remain high among sections of the public, the Justice Department has said no such roster exists.
Even so, the release of the files is seen as the most comprehensive public look yet at decades of investigations into Epstein and the institutional failures that allowed his abuse to continue.
If the department fails to meet the deadline or withholds large portions of the records, legal and political challenges are likely, with the issue expected to remain a flashpoint for the Trump administration heading into next year's midterm elections.
