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 online, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stating the release included “several hundred thousand” records and additional materials to follow in coming weeks. However, Blanche’s timeline contradicted the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated that all DOJ records be released by Friday—except for narrow exceptions protecting survivors’ personal information and other sensitive categories.
The law required disclosure of criminal investigation records into Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including flight logs, travel records, internal communications, and details surrounding Epstein’s 2019 suicide in federal custody.
Two senior House Democrats—Reps. Robert Garcia of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland—reportedly said they are “examining all legal options” after the DOJ missed the deadline to release all records as required by law.
“The DOJ is releasing a massive tranche of new documents that the Biden and Obama administrations refused to release,” the department wrote on X, calling the criticism “ridiculous framing.”
The materials include numerous photographs of unidentified women, heavily redacted police records, images from Epstein’s Manhattan home such as his bedroom, risqué wall art, and a taxidermied tiger, plus framed photographs of Epstein himself. Seven pages list 254 masseuses with names entirely redacted to “protect potential victim information.” One image shows former President Bill Clinton reclining in a hot tub, partially obscured by a black rectangle; another depicts Clinton swimming with a dark-haired woman who appears to be Maxwell.
Trump’s name appears in a contact book found among the files, though it is unclear to whom the book belonged. Rep. Ro Khanna of California stated he believes the DOJ aimed to comply with the law but urged officials to explain why they could not release all documents and to detail each redaction.
The DOJ noted “reasonable efforts” were made to shield survivors’ information on its Epstein files webpage, though a privacy notice warned that some non-public personally identifiable details might have been inadvertently included due to the record volume and congressional deadline. The site also cautioned that portions of the “Epstein Library” contain descriptions of sexual assault and may not be suitable for all readers.
The release follows the Trump administration’s broader effort to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required transparency about records from criminal investigations into Epstein and his associates. A White House statement praised the administration as “the most transparent in history,” citing document releases, cooperation with congressional subpoenas, and President Trump’s call for further investigations into Epstein-related matters involving Democrats.
The DOJ also confirmed that the full library includes court records, materials disclosed through public records laws, and documents released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
