Justice Department Releases Millions More Epstein Files

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Friday that three million additional files tied to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are being released as part of the “Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

The total number of files released now stands at 3.5 million. Blanche said officials erred on the side of “over collection,” with the release including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 photos.

Blanche noted that many of the images and videos consist of “large quantities of commercial pornography and images that were seized from Epstein’s devices, which he did not take or that someone around him did not take.”

“Some of the videos, though, and some of the images do appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein or by others around him,” he said. Blanche noted that all pictures of women were redacted as potential victims, with the exception of Ghislaine Maxwell. He said no men were redacted from any photos or videos unless doing so was necessary to redact a woman.

In a press release, the Justice Department warned that the production “may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos,” noting that everything sent to the FBI by the public and deemed responsive to the Act was included. The department also said the release contains “untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump” that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election.

Blanche said that the White House had “no oversight” role in the extensive document review process.

“I don’t have anything to share about what’s new and what’s not new,” the deputy attorney general said when asked about whether the documents would reveal any well-known figures. The DOJ said in its release that “notable individuals and politicians were not redacted in the release of any files.”

The DOJ also sent a letter to Congress stating that “today’s production marks the Department’s compliance with its production obligations under the Act.” The department said the files largely came from the court cases against Epstein and Maxwell, “FBI investigations,” and the investigation into Epstein’s death.

The department said files were excluded only if they were duplicates; protected by deliberative process or attorney-client privilege; contained violent imagery; or consisted of materials unrelated to the Epstein or Maxwell cases.

“Prudently over-collecting, coupled with past intra-Department sharing of (and, therefore, duplication of) files across offices and jurisdictions, necessarily means that the number of non-duplicative, responsive pages is significantly smaller than the total number of pages initially collected,” the letter to Congress stated.

President Donald Trump signed the act into law in November after it passed Congress with near-unanimous support, though House leaders were forced to use a discharge petition to bring the bill to the floor.