DOJ releases Epstein files under new transparency law
Caroline MolloyThe Department of Justice (DOJ) on Dec. 19 released thousands of pages of records related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, meeting a 30-day disclosure deadline established by a newly enacted transparency law.
The DOJ published the materials on a new “Epstein Library” section of its website, organizing them into categories that include court records, prior DOJ disclosures, Freedom of Information Act responses, and materials previously shared with the House Oversight Committee. The documents and images are heavily redacted.
Former President Bill Clinton appears in several of the images, including one photograph showing him in a hot tub with an individual whose face is not visible. Another image shows Clinton swimming in a pool with Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Some photographs show other well-known public figures, including Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, and former Prince Andrew. The images do not show evidence of criminal activity.
According to a review by the New York Times, President Donald Trump is rarely mentioned in the release, with only scattered references and images, most of which were already public.
In an earlier Dec. 12 release of a small batch of photographs by House Democrats on the Oversight Committee, Trump, Clinton, Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and others were pictured alongside Epstein. The White House criticized that release as politically motivated and said it was intended to create a false narrative.
The Times reported that much of the newly released material stems from three prior investigations into Epstein: A 2005 inquiry launched by police in Palm Beach, Florida, a federal investigation in Florida that concluded in 2008, and a final probe by federal prosecutors in Manhattan in 2019 that ended when Epstein died in jail before the case could be resolved.
The disclosures come under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan measure that Congress passed nearly unanimously in November. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the only “no” vote in either chamber. Trump, who has previously taken varying public positions on the release of Epstein-related files, signed the legislation into law Nov. 29.
The law requires the U.S. attorney general to release all non-exempt Epstein-related files within 30 days of enactment in a publicly searchable format. It allows redactions to protect victims and permits the DOJ to withhold limited information related to ongoing investigations, law enforcement methods, grand jury secrecy, or national security.
Attorney General Pam Bondi must submit a report by Jan. 3 summarizing the redactions made and outlining their legal basis, according to the New York Post.
Several lawmakers quickly questioned whether the Dec. 19 release satisfies the statute’s requirements. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, argued on X that “it’s clear that this is not a full release.”
