After a new federal transparency law set a Dec. 19, 2025, deadline for the Justice Department to publish unclassified Jeffrey Epstein-related records, the department released an initial tranche but has said reviewing and redacting the remaining material will take additional weeks. The pace, along with extensive redactions and the appearance of at least one fabricated document in the release, has fueled criticism from lawmakers in both parties and revived online conspiracy narratives heading into the 2026 midterm cycle.
The Justice Department has missed the deadline set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law enacted on Nov. 19, 2025, that required the attorney general to make publicly available, within 30 days, all unclassified records in the department’s possession relating to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, along with related investigative materials and travel records.
The department released an initial batch of material on Dec. 19, 2025, but has said it cannot complete review and legally required redactions of the full trove on that timeline because of the volume of records and the need to protect victims’ identities. In reporting by major outlets, the Justice Department has described a large-scale review effort involving hundreds of attorneys and analysts working through the holidays and into January.
Lawmakers from both parties have argued that the department’s approach is not meeting the law’s intent. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have said they are drafting a measure to pursue a contempt finding against Attorney General Pam Bondi over the pace of disclosures and what they describe as questionable or inconsistent redactions. The Justice Department has defended its handling of the release, saying redactions are limited to what is required by law and aimed at protecting victims.
The controversy has also intersected with internal Republican politics. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) announced in late November that she would resign effective Jan. 5, 2026, following a period of public friction with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders that included disputes over the Epstein-records release.
As more documents have emerged, some material has fueled renewed online speculation. The Justice Department has publicly warned that not every item included in the disclosure should be treated as true simply because it appears in a government release. In one high-profile example, the department said a purported letter presented as correspondence from Epstein to former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar—which referenced Trump—was fake, citing FBI analysis and inconsistencies in mailing details and dates.
Epstein, a wealthy financier accused of abusing and trafficking underage girls, was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and later died in a Manhattan jail. Maxwell, described by prosecutors as an accomplice who helped recruit and groom victims, was convicted in federal court and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
With the department’s review continuing into January, lawmakers and victims’ advocates say they expect additional releases, while acknowledging that privacy protections for victims and court-sealed material will remain central to legal fights over what can be made public. The dispute is shaping into a fresh political flashpoint as Congress returns and both parties look ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.
