Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a TV appearance Friday morning that the Justice Department will release “several hundred thousand documents” in its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein later in the day — as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last month.
However, Blanche added in the Fox News interview that he expected “several hundred thousand more” documents would be made public “over the next couple of weeks.”
What You Need To Know
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a TV appearance Friday morning that the Justice Department would release “several hundred thousand documents” in its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein later that day – as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act
He added in the Fox News interview that he expected “several hundred thousand more” documents would be made public “over the next couple of weeks”
The law requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to make all of its records related to its investigations into Epstein and his former girlfriend and longtime confidant available in a public and searchable format by Friday
Epstein died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and
The law requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to make all of the records related to the Justice Department’s investigations into Epstein and his former girlfriend and longtime confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, available in a public and searchable format by Friday.
The deputy attorney general said that the Justice Department has been working “tirelessly” to review its own documents since the law was passed.
“There’s a lot of eyes looking at these, and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials that we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim,” he said.
Following Blanche’s remarks, Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California –– ranking members on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, respectively –– said in a statement that they are “now examining all legal options” should the Justice Department not produce all of its Epstein files Friday.
Epstein died in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in what investigators determined was a suicide. He had taken a deal in 2008 –– in which he pled guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution. Epstein’s accusers have long sought more information about that plea agreement that allowed him to avoid federal charges.
Maxwell, 63, is serving her 20-year prison sentence for her role in luring girls to be abused by Epstein over the course of a decade. She was moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas earlier in August.
The deadline for the release of the Justice Department’s files was set by the law, passed with overwhelming support in Congress last month. After previously expressing opposition to the measure, President Donald Trump reversed course and signed the legislation once it reached his desk Nov. 19.
The law’s passage followed a monthslong effort by a small group of bipartisan lawmakers — including Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, along with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — to force the House to hold the vote on making the Justice Department’s files public. The Congress members’ discharge petition reached the 218-signature threshold in November, compelling Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the bill to the floor.
From left; Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speak during a news conference as the House prepares to vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. They are joined by survivors and family members who recounted their personal stories of Epstein. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The text of the legislation explicitly states that materials cannot be withheld, redacted or delayed on “the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity,” and allows for carve-outs for records that are “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy” or “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”
Documents and images that identify the women and girls who Epstein abused, as well as materials showing child sex abuse or “death, physical abuse, or injury of any person,” may also be withheld or redacted by the attorney general, the law states. Authorities estimate that Epstein abused hundreds of teenage girls and young women over the years.
Helene Weiss, a former sex crimes prosecutor whose law firm now represents Epstein accusers, was asked about Blanche’s comment that more files would be shared “over the next couple of weeks” in an interview with CNN on Friday. She said she did not think it was “acceptable” for the federal government to delay the release of some of its records.
“We were not promised some sort of eventual tranche of disclosures that are going to take place over what? Days, weeks, months, years?” she said. “Today is the day we were promised.”
Ahead of Friday, lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee have been making batches of records public — including photos of prominent individuals, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and the former Prince Andrew — from the committee’s separate investigation into Epstein.
All of the high-profile men pictured have denied wrongdoing, and the images and documents have not implicated any in Epstein’s crimes.
The materials were obtained by the House committee through a subpoena it sent to Epstein’s estate, as well as a request made to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the disgraced financier once owned two private islands.
Records made public Thursday included what appeared to be a text exchange between unidentified parties in which one person messaged, “I will send u girls now.”