At a Glance
- One month past the statutory deadline, only 12,285 documents of a multi-million-page trove have been released.
- Reps. Massie and Khanna accuse Attorney General Bondi of illegal redactions and plan an inherent-contempt vote.
- Survivors say redactions protect accused men while leaving victims’ names visible.
- Why it matters: Victims and lawmakers say shielding alleged abusers erodes trust and blocks accountability.
A month after the Justice Department’s self-imposed deadline to release every unclassified Jeffrey Epstein file, the agency has published fewer than 125,000 pages while millions remain hidden, prompting bipartisan warnings of congressional retaliation and fresh anguish from survivors.
Deadline Missed
President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 19, 2024, giving the attorney general 30 days to post “all unclassified records” in a searchable format. The statutory clock expired Dec. 19. On that day, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News a full release could take “a couple of weeks.”
In a court filing this month, DOJ said it has so far posted “approximately 12,285 documents (comprising approximately 125,575 pages)” and has mobilized “over five hundred reviewers” to redact “millions of pages.”
The department has not provided a final page count or a publication schedule.
Hill Anger Grows
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., co-authors of the transparency law, say the delay amounts to obstruction.
Massie told Jordan M. Lewis Friday that “Attorney General Bondi is making illegal redactions and withholding key documents that would implicate associates of Epstein.”
Khanna, in a separate statement, said the department’s “refusal to follow the law” is “an obstruction of justice.”
“They also need to release the FBI witness interviews which name other men, so the public can know who was involved,” Khanna added. “That is why Massie and I are bringing inherent contempt against Bondi and requested a special master to oversee this process.”
DOJ lawyers argued Friday that the lawmakers lack legal standing for a special master and asked the court to reject the request.
Survivors Sound Alarm
A coalition of Epstein survivors and victims’ relatives told DOJ’s inspector general last week that redactions had been “selective.”
“These failures have caused renewed harm to survivors and undermined trust in the institutions responsible for safeguarding sensitive information,” their letter states.
They allege:
- Names of alleged abusers are blacked-out while survivors’ identifiers remain visible.
- Some survivors’ names or contextual clues were left unprotected.
- DOJ has ignored the law’s requirement to publish an explanatory index for every redaction.
“Without it, there is no authoritative accounting of what records exist, what has been withheld, or why,” an attorney for the congressmen wrote.
What’s Still Hidden
Among the unreleased material:
- Internal DOJ and FBI discussions about a July 2024 memo that declared no further charges likely.
- Transcripts and exhibits from hundreds of FBI witness interviews.
- Communications surrounding Epstein’s controversial 2008 non-prosecution agreement.
That earlier deal let Epstein plead to a single state charge, serve 13 months in a county jail with daily work release, and avoid federal indictment.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while facing federal sex-trafficking charges. His former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring to sex-traffic minors.
DOJ Defense
The department declined comment on the lawmakers’ claims. In a court filing, it said compliance “is a substantial undertaking” because “careful, manual review is necessary to ensure that victim-identifying information is redacted.”
DOJ has identified more than 1,000 victims and says protecting their privacy drives the pace.
Next Steps
Massie and Khanna vow to press ahead with inherent-contempt proceedings-a rarely used House power allowing fines or even jail for officials deemed to be stonewalling.
A federal judge could rule within days on whether the pair have standing to demand a special master.
Meanwhile, survivors continue to scan the department’s online portal for the bulk of the promised files, so far finding only a trickle where a flood was pledged.
Key Takeaways
- The Epstein Files Transparency Act became law Nov. 19; the release deadline passed Dec. 19.
- Only ~12,285 documents have been posted out of millions.
- Lawmakers from both parties threaten Attorney General Bondi with inherent contempt and want an outside special master.
- Victims argue redactions shield alleged perpetrators while exposing survivors.
- DOJ cites victim-privacy review as the cause of delay but has not set a final release date.
