The US Department of Justice announced it will release only a portion of its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein this week. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News that the department plans to release several hundred thousand documents in phases.
“There’s a lot of eyes looking at these, and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim,” Blanche said.
Lawmakers: ‘Legal violation’
The decision has prompted swift rebuke on Capitol Hill.
Representatives Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement: “We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law.”
They added, “The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from the DOJ.”
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also weighed in, calling the partial release “breaking the law” and accusing the Justice Department, President Trump, and Pam Bondi of attempting to hide the truth.
{{/usCountry}}Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also weighed in, calling the partial release “breaking the law” and accusing the Justice Department, President Trump, and Pam Bondi of attempting to hide the truth.
{{/usCountry}}“Senate Democrats are working closely with attorneys for Epstein’s victims and outside legal experts to assess what documents are being withheld and what is being covered up,” Schumer said.
Republican scrutiny
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has been actively pushing for full disclosure alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. Massie said he will judge the DOJ’s release by whether it includes the names of alleged co-conspirators already known to victims’ attorneys.
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“So, if we get a large production and it does not contain a single name of any male who's accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape, then we know they haven't produced all the documents,” Massie wrote on X.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by Donald Trump on November 19, mandates the DOJ to release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein within 30 days of enactment. Exceptions are only for sensitive victim information, ongoing investigations, or national security concerns.