The U.S. Department of Justice partially released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein on December 19, 2025, meeting a congressional deadline but withholding hundreds of thousands more pages for later. The files include previously public materials and new photos of former President Bill Clinton with Epstein, amid heavy redactions to protect victims. Lawmakers from both parties expressed frustration over the incomplete disclosure.
The Justice Department on Friday released several hundred thousand pages of documents concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, fulfilling part of the requirements under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump last month. The law mandated the public availability of all unclassified records, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and associated individuals within 30 days. However, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that additional hundreds of thousands of pages would follow in the coming weeks, citing the need to review every document to safeguard the identities of approximately 1,200 victims.
Among the released materials were flight logs, a nearly fully redacted list of about 200 masseuses, a client list, evidence from Maxwell's case, and several new photos. These included images of former President Bill Clinton in a hot tub with an unidentified female whose face was redacted—likely a minor, victim, or government official per DOJ policy—and standing next to Epstein. Another showed Clinton in a pool with Maxwell. Many documents contained heavy redactions, including 119 pages of New York grand jury testimony, and much of the content overlapped with prior public disclosures from court cases and congressional subpoenas.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a co-sponsor of the act, voiced disappointment in an NPR interview, calling the release "at very best incomplete" and demanding a draft indictment implicating other powerful men, as well as FBI witness interviews. "There's a draft indictment of the first Jeffrey Epstein case that really implicates other rich and powerful men who knew about the abuse or participated in it," Khanna said. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., another co-sponsor, urged full compliance, posting "Time’s up. Release the files" and expecting names of at least 20 accused men.
Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, warned of bipartisan pushback if the DOJ violates the law, while a statement from Reps. Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin accused the administration of covering up Epstein's sex trafficking ring. Blanche emphasized victim protection on Fox News: "We are looking at every single piece of paper... making sure that every victim, their name, their identity... is completely protected." The FBI holds over 300 gigabytes of data, including sensitive photos and videos of accusers that will remain withheld.
Trump, who once vowed to expose Epstein's ties but later resisted release, called for investigations into Democrats like Bill Clinton and institutions such as J.P. Morgan. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been implicated in Epstein's crimes. Accusers like Haley Robson lamented the politicization: "It's time that we put the political agendas... to the side. This is a human issue." The partial release adds to tens of thousands of prior documents from the House Oversight Committee, revealing Epstein's post-2008 connections to figures like Larry Summers and Noam Chomsky, though correspondence alone does not imply criminal involvement.
