WASHINGTON – A top Justice Department official this week announced the department will not fully release all of its investigative files of Jeffrey Epstein by the December 19th deadline.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke with Fox News this week. Blanche expects to release “several hundred thousand documents” by the due date. Hundreds of thousands are set to arrive later.
“I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks,” Blanche reassured during the interview. “So today, several hundred thousand, and then over the next couple of weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”
According to CNBC, Blanche justified his plan by emphasizing concern for the victims, assuring that “the DOJ is reviewing the files to redact names and identities of Epstein’s victims.”
Last month, President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It directs the attorney general to “make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” in the possession of the DOJ, FBI, and U.S Attorneys’ Offices related to Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The law also refrains from the withholding, delay, or redaction of a record based on embarrassment, “reputational harm, or political sensitivity.” The law applies to public figures, government officials, and foreign figures.
Members in Congress voiced their frustration with the plan.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attacked the DOJ, Blanche, and Attorney General Pam Bondi following the interview.
Schumer wrote in a statement, “This is nothing more than a cover-up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past.”
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky also expressed concern about the plan.
Massie, a co-sponsor of the bill, issued a 14-minute video on X outlining his expectations.
Massie assured that he spoke with attorneys for some of the victims. The victims allege that “there are at least 20 named of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI.”
“So if we get a large production on December 19th and it does not contain a single name of any male who’s accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape…then we know they haven’t produced all the documents,” he expressed. “It’s that simple.”
