Trump Administration’s Epstein Records Release Misses Deadline

By Michael Katz | Friday, 19 December 2025 05:14 PM EST

The Department of Justice on Friday unveiled a trove of records related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first documents released under a law signed by President Donald Trump last month. The DOJ posted the files on its website, stating that the release included “several hundred thousand” records with additional materials scheduled for future weeks.

However, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged that the timeline did not meet requirements set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated the full disclosure of all relevant documents by Friday. The law required the public release of records from criminal investigations into Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as flight logs, travel records, and internal communications related to Epstein’s case and his 2019 suicide in federal custody.

The released materials included numerous photographs of unidentified women, police records, images from Epstein’s Manhattan home such as risqué wall art and a taxidermied tiger, and several pages listing the names of 254 masseuses that were redacted to protect potential victim information. One photograph featured former President Bill Clinton reclining in a hot tub with part of his image obscured by a black rectangle; another showed him swimming with a dark-haired woman believed to be Maxwell.

Trump’s name appeared in a contact book among the files, though it is unclear to whom the book belonged. Two senior House Democrats reported they are examining legal options after the DOJ missed the deadline for full compliance with the law.

The DOJ stated that “reasonable efforts” were made to shield survivors’ personal information but warned that some non-public personally identifiable information may have been inadvertently included due to the volume of materials and the congressional deadline. The department also noted that portions of the “Epstein Library” contain descriptions of sexual assault and may not be appropriate for all readers.

A House committee member urged officials to explain why documents were delayed and account for each redaction, while the White House labeled the move as one of the most transparent in history, asserting that the administration has released thousands of pages of documents and cooperated with congressional subpoenas.

Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.