The deadline for the Trump administration to release all of the files it has related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s case is here. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November, gave the government until Dec. 19 to turn everything over.
11:43 a.m. ET: Justice Department to release files at 3 p.m. ET per CBS
The Justice Department plans to release the Epstein files at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, sources confirmed to CBS News.
11:30 a.m. ET: Lawmakers call out DOJ’s plan not to release all files
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. issued responses Friday after Deputy AG Todd Blanche said the DOJ would not release all Epstein files on Friday.
“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,” Schumer said in a statement. “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.”
Khanna also weighed in with a statement, saying if the DOJ doesn’t release all the files Friday, it should at least release a timeline for the rest of the release.
“In addition to today’s document release, the DOJ must today offer a clear timeline for the full release,” Khanna said. “The key is they release the names of all the powerful men in question who abused underage girls or covered it up. They must provide a clear framework to the survivors and the nation by when we will have everything public.”
Massie shared a post on X without a caption, but it shows the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with a highlighted portion indicating that all files must be released by Friday. He specifically highlighted the word “all.”
9:30 a.m. ET: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche discusses release
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke about the Epstein file release on Fox News Friday morning, saying thousands of files are expected Friday, but more will come in the following weeks.
“I expect that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today, and those documents will come in all different forms — photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into, into Mr. Epstein,” he said.
Blanche added that the Department of Justice has been “working tirelessly” to review the files and get them to the public.
9:00 a.m. ET: Rep. Thomas Massie provides explanation on release
On Thursday, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-W.V., shared a 14-minute video on X, explaining what Americans can expect when the Department of Justice releases the Epstein files.
He details what the files may include, how Americans will know they’ve been released, and the process leading to and following the release.
Background
The Epstein Files Transparency Act was backed by all but one member of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in November. It gave the Department of Justice (DOJ) 30 days to release its records, only allowing for redactions to protect victims.
Earlier this month, a federal judge granted the DOJ’s request to unseal records of the federal grand jury investigation into Epstein. Usually, grand jury records are kept private, but a federal judge in Florida ruled the Epstein Files Transparency Act “supersedes the otherwise secret grand jury materials.”
A separate judge granted a similar request relating to grand jury documents in Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell’s case. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
What we can expect
The files set to be released involve grand jury records from three separate Epstein investigations in Florida related to allegations of him preying on underage girls.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Before his death, Jeffrey Epstein faced federal charges of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.
Whatever the Justice Department releases Friday will join a cache of Epstein-related documents already made public.
Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have already published hundreds of photos and thousands of documents illustrating Epstein’s ties to prominent individuals such as President Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, movie director and actor Woody Allen and former Harvard president and Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
In September, the committee released more than 33,000 pages of records after it subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi. Those files included surveillance footage from the night Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell.
Then in October and November, it released tens of thousands more pages of documents.
Trump’s connection to Epstein
One of the biggest points of interest is what the government’s files will be able to tell Americans about the late financier’s relationship with President Trump.
Trump has already been seen in multiple photos with Epstein and admitted to having a friendship with him. However, Trump has never been linked to the trafficking of underage girls and has denied any knowledge of the activity.
Trump as also directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s connection to his political foes. The president wrote in a post on social media that Bondi’s investigation will specifically look into former President Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Democrat megadonor Reid Hoffman, JPMorgan Chase and “many other people and institutions.”
This story is featured in today’s Unbiased Updates. Watch the full episode here.
Democrats turn up the pressure
Ahead of the Friday deadline, House Democrats released more than 60 new images from Epstein’s estate, saying they raise serious questions about what the government is still holding back.
The images include photos of multiple foreign women’s passports, a picture of Epstein with three women, whose faces are redacted and several pictures highlighting Epstein’s connections to high-profile and powerful men.
In a statement accompanying the release, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Ca., said the photos only deepen concerns about what has yet to be disclosed.
“As we approach the deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession,” Garcia said. “We must end this white house cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.”
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