WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Justice will not release the full set of unclassified files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by a Friday deadline mandated under new federal law, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, setting up a potential legal and political dispute with Congress.
Blanche told Fox News that the DOJ plans to send Congress a partial batch of “several hundred thousand” documents by the deadline, with additional records released over the coming weeks. He said the delay is due to an extensive review process aimed at redacting names and identifying details of victims and witnesses, which he described as necessary to protect privacy and safety.
The disclosure requirement stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress with near-unanimous support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump after he reversed earlier opposition to releasing the records. The law gave DOJ 30 days to turn over all unclassified Epstein-related files to Congress, while allowing limited redactions and requiring the department to justify any withheld material within 15 days.
Critics argue the statute does not authorize a rolling release schedule. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who helped force the vote on the legislation, said the law’s language is unambiguous and warned that failure to comply could trigger penalties. Massie emphasized that Trump has already agreed to the law’s terms, leaving little room for executive discretion.
The dispute comes amid intense bipartisan pressure for transparency in the Epstein case, which has fueled public skepticism and conspiracy theories for years. Whether DOJ’s phased release satisfies the statute may ultimately be decided in court or through further congressional action.
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