DOJ releases trove of Epstein files after demand from Congress

REBECCA BEITSCH

The Justice Department on Friday publicly released a portion of the Epstein files in response to a law that garnered near unanimous support from both parties in Congress.

The highly anticipated release of the files comes after months of building pressure on the White House and amid scrutiny of President Trump’s connection with the deceased sex offender. Trump last month reversed course and signed a bill that gave the Justice Department 30 days to publicly post all unclassified documents in its tranche surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. That 30-day clock ends on Friday.

The public won’t be seeing all the files on Friday, however.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said early in the day that DOJ would not immediately be sharing the full extent of the documents, releasing “several hundred thousand” documents on Friday, “and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle accused the Trump administration of violating the law, which, but for a few exceptions, required the DOJ to release the Epstein files in full.

Attorney General Pam Bondi acknowledged not all documents were shared, calling it the “first phase.”

“This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” Bondi said in a statement accompanying the released files.

“The first phase of files released today sheds light on Epstein’s extensive network and begins to provide the public with long overdue accountability.”

Two House Democratic leaders said they were “examining all legal options” after Blanche said only a portion of the documents would be released Friday, while Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one of the top advocates for their release, simply posted a screenshot of the bill on X with the language of the 30-day deadline highlighted.

“The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be – the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement on Friday.

Trump has consistently denied being close with Epstein, though there are photos that show the two spending time together over the course of several years. Reporting from The New York Times on Thursday found the two were much closer than Trump now claims, with the duo speaking regularly and bonding over pursuing women.

The White House has repeatedly said Trump considered Epstein a “creep” and severed their ties years ago.

“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in November, blasting Democrats for politicizing the files.

The president has repeatedly dismissed the push for more transparency around the Epstein case as a “hoax” perpetuated by Democrats, and he has called Republicans who have focused on the issue “stupid” and accused them of distracting from his agenda. But when it became clear the legislation would pass with bipartisan support, Trump reversed course and said Republicans should support it.

Separately from the law compelling the files be shared, the House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed the files from both the Justice Department and the Epstein estate.

While Democrats have complained records have only trickled in from the DOJ, Epstein’s estate has turned over reams of documents from the financier.

Those documents include a birthday note Trump allegedly penned to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday that featured the outline of a woman’s figure with a hypothetical conversation between the two men.

The message references a “wonderful secret” and notes the men “have certain things in common.”

Trump has denied writing the message, and even sued the Wall Street Journal for publishing a story about its existence, but Democrats on the House Oversight Committee compared his signature on the image to other documents signed by Trump, arguing there was little doubt it is authentic.

And in November, Oversight Democrats released emails from Epstein referencing Trump, including one with Epstein referencing the president in saying, “of course he knew about the girls.”

In another, Epstein said that Trump “spent hours” at his house.