The Justice Department has released fewer than 13,000 documents from its Jeffrey Epstein investigation, representing less than 1% of the total files, 19 days after missing a legal deadline to disclose all records.
The department reported Monday that 12,285 documents have been released while more than 2 million remain under review. A team of 400 lawyers continues examining the materials, according to a court filing submitted to Manhattan federal Judge Paul Engelmayer.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed with near-unanimous support and President Donald Trump signed November 19, required the Justice Department to release all unclassified records about the convicted sex offender by December 19. The law mandates disclosure of investigative materials, flight logs, and names of government officials connected to the case.
The delayed and heavily redacted release has drawn sharp criticism from the bill’s co-sponsors, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Massie told reporters the department is “citing the Privacy Act and they’re trying to pretend like that overrides a law that we just passed that says you can’t withhold records to prevent embarrassment.”
The congressman added that officials are “also citing FOIA standards, which don’t apply to our law. They’re trying to say they don’t have to release internal decisions, but our bill specifically says release internal decisions.”
Khanna called the initial release “disappointing” and said Justice Department officials “have not been transparent.” The pair has discussed potential contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Read: Redactions and coverups: Hiccups in DOJ’s Epstein files release
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the department of violating federal law. “It’s been 17 DAYS since the Trump DOJ first broke the law and failed to release all the Epstein files,” Schumer wrote Monday on social media, noting the department has not provided Congress with a required list of government officials named in the files.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the process, telling NBC‘s “Meet the Press” that “the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that to protect victims.”
The law permits redactions to shield victim identities. Still, it explicitly states that “no record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
Initial releases on December 19 included photographs of Epstein with former President Bill Clinton and other public figures, though many documents contained extensive redactions. The department has posted additional batches since then, but has not specified when the full disclosure will occur.
Read: Clinton Demands Full Release of Epstein Files, Accuses Trump of Cover-Up
A group of 12 senators led by Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., have called for an inspector general audit of the department’s handling of the files.
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