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In a legal filing made on Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has only released 12,285 documents relating to its investigation into alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, representing less than 1 percent of the total files on the case in its possession.
According to the terms of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed into law in November, “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” were required to be released by December 19. Critics allege the DOJ is in violation of that law due to the incredibly slow rollout of files.
The law also requires redactions to be made in order to protect the identity of victims. DOJ officials have maintained that the holdup is the result of ensuring those redactions are carried out.
But victims have noted the DOJ’s failures, stating that there are numerous examples of unnecessary redactions, while the department has also failed at ensuring identities are concealed.
“The public received a fraction of the files, and what we received was riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation,” a letter from 19 victims to the department said last month.
A five-page update was submitted by the Justice Department to federal Judge Paul Engelmayer earlier this week. Within it, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blance, and other DOJ officials recognized that their release of the Epstein files was incredibly delayed.
“There are more than two million documents potentially responsive to the Act that are in various phases of review,” the document states.
Democratic lawmakers have criticized the slow rollout of the documents as inadequate, noting that multiple documents featured questionable redactions.
“What are they trying to hide?” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) wrote in a post on X, adding that “the Trump DOJ’s lawlessness must stop.”
Americans are also troubled by the Trump administration’s rollout of the files. According to an Economist/YouGov poll published on Tuesday, only 24 percent of Americans approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of the Epstein case, with 56 percent expressing disapproval.
In another question in the poll, one in two voters (49 percent) say they believe Trump, who was once a close friend of Epstein’s, is trying to cover up his crimes. Only 30 percent said he’s not doing so, with another 21 percent expressing uncertainty.
Speculations of a cover-up came soon after the initial release of files last month, as people recognized multiple documents that should have been included were missing, and that dozens of files that were released were suddenly removed from the database. In at least one instance, a file that was removed included a photograph of the president.
Trump has expressed various opinions about the Epstein files which appear to have been dependent on how they would help or hurt him politically. During the 2024 presidential campaign, for example, Trump expressed support for releasing all of the files, as conspiracy theorists within his base had been demanding. However, upon taking office, Trump vehemently opposed the documents’ release, wrongly claiming calls to release the files were a “hoax” by Democrats.
Trump only acquiesced when it became clear that legislation requiring his administration to release the files was going to pass. Even after signing the bill into law, Trump has continued to rail against those calling for more transparency in the matter.
“DOJ is being forced to spend all of its time on this Democrat inspired Hoax,” Trump said in a Truth Social post late last month. “When do they say NO MORE?”
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