The US Justice Department on Friday said that it has begun releasing a massive tranche of records linked to the investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The department said that it would make public more than three million pages of documents, along with 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.Announcing the release, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the department had completed its review of the Epstein-related records and would disclose the material through the day. The release follows months of mounting pressure from lawmakers, courts and the public over how and when the files should be made public, according to CNN. The documents are being released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed by Congress in November with near-unanimous support that gave the Justice Department a December 19 last year deadline to release all records related to Epstein. The department missed that deadline, citing the scale of the review and the need to protect victims’ identities.Speaking at a news conference, Blanche said the latest disclosure includes material seized from Epstein’s electronic devices. He cautioned that not all of it directly implicates Epstein or his associates. “These files include large quantities of commercial pornography and images that were seized from Epstein’s devices but which he did not take,” Blanche said. He added that “some of the images do appear to be taken by Mr Epstein or by others around him.”Blanche explained why certain records were withheld after fresh documents related to the investigation into Epstein were released.
What the DOJ withheld and why?
Addressing questions on transparency, Blanche said the decision to withhold some material was in line with legal provisions under the Act. “The categories of documents withheld include those permitted under the act to be withheld,” he said.He clarified that several types of sensitive information were not included in the release, including files containing personally identifiable information of victims, victims’ personal and medical records and any similar material that could amount to a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Blanche said the release also excluded any depiction of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) or child pornography, according to CNN. According to Blanche, documents that could jeopardize an ongoing federal investigation were also withheld, along with material depicting or containing images of death, physical abuse, or injury. In addition, files protected under legal privileges, such as deliberative process privilege, work product privilege and attorney-client privilege, were not disclosed.Blanche further highlighted that while the law allows authorities to withhold information on grounds of national security or foreign policy, no such justification was used in this case.“Although the act allows for withholding for items necessary to keep secret in the interest of national security or foreign policy, no files are being withheld or redacted on that basis,” he added.
What is the case?
The release is one of the largest so far in a case that has continued to haunt the Justice Department years after Epstein’s death. Epstein, a convicted sex offender accused of abusing dozens of underage girls, died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.Until now, only a fraction of the records had been made public. Earlier this month, the department said it had released 12,285 documents, less than 1% of its Epstein-related files, with more than two million documents still under review. The total number of documents subject to review has since grown to 5.2 million, including duplicates, according to the department.The Justice Department has faced criticism over earlier statements by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said last year that a long-rumored “client list” was under review. The department later said Bondi had misspoken and was referring more broadly to investigative materials. A subsequent joint memo by the Justice Department and the FBI said there was no evidence of a client list and reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide, triggering bipartisan outrage and renewed calls for transparency.In a recent court filing, Bondi, Blanche and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton told federal judges that the department had reviewed millions of pages of material and made “substantial progress” on redactions. “The Department is not able to provide a specific date at this time,” the filing said, warning that further quality checks were needed to ensure victim protection while complying with the law.Officials said the review effort has involved hundreds of attorneys, agents and staff, with more than 400 lawyers and at least 100 FBI employees trained in handling sensitive victim information working on the files.The records include papers, photographs, videos and audio files stored in the FBI’s electronic case management system, largely drawn from two major investigations into Epstein in Florida and New York that spanned decades. A July 2025 FBI memo said that the investigators uncovered more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence during a comprehensive review.Previous releases have included heavily redacted documents, flight logs, interview transcripts and grand jury testimony. Some records showed that US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton had social interactions with Epstein in the 1990s. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and both have denied any knowledge of his abuse of underage girls.The case has also drawn attention to Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking for helping recruit underage girls and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. No other individuals were charged in connection with Epstein’s abuse.Public dissatisfaction over the pace and scope of disclosures remains high. A CNN poll conducted earlier this month found that a large majority of Americans believe the federal government is intentionally holding back information in the Epstein case.
