The Department of Justice (DOJ) began releasing long-sealed files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Dec.19 2025, under a congressionally mandated transparency law, but a court filing shows less than 1 percent of the records have been made public so far. Drawing criticism from Democrats and raising questions about accountability, the case involves alleged sex trafficking, powerful elites and years of lack of transparency.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in New York, the Justice Department said it has released 12,285 documents, totaling about 125,575 pages, while acknowledging that most Epstein-related records remain unreleased. Engelmayer authorized the release of grand jury materials connected to the 2021 sex-trafficking conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell.
In the five-page letter, Attorney General Pamela Bondi wrote that many of the remaining documents are duplicates of records already collected and emphasized that protecting the identities of Epstein’s victims has slowed the review process. Bondi wrote that “more than two million documents could potentially fall under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and are currently in various stages of review.”
The letter was co-signed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for Manhattan.
In November 2025, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act with near-unanimous support, requiring the DOJ to release all records related to Jeffrey Epstein by Dec. 19. Since then, the department has published hundreds of thousands of documents to a DOJ website known as the “Epstein Library.”
The law also requires the department to justify any redactions and submit to Congress, within 15 days of publication, a list of all government officials and politically exposed individuals referenced in the files. Lawmakers say that the list has not been delivered.
In a recent post on X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the Justice Department of deliberately delaying compliance with the law, arguing that the lack of transparency has left Congress and the public in the dark.
“What are they trying to hide?” Schumer wrote, stating it had been 17 days since what he described as the Trump Justice Department’s failure to meet the law’s disclosure deadline.
Schumer also criticized the pace and substance of the releases, noting that the department had not published new material in more than two weeks. He pointed to roughly 40,000 pages released so far, which he said were heavily redacted and contained “no new information on the ten alleged Epstein co-conspirators.”
“We don’t even truly know how many more files there are to be released,” Schumer wrote. “The Trump DOJ’s lawlessness must stop. I will do everything in my power to ensure all the files come out.”
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and died later that year in federal custody. His death was ruled a suicide. Lawmakers say Epstein allegedly abused and trafficked numerous underage girls over decades, with many victims later coming forward publicly.
Epstein’s past relationships with influential figures have remained under scrutiny, including his prior social ties to Trump. Trump has said he knew Epstein socially in Palm Beach, Florida, but that the relationship ended in the mid-2000s after a dispute. A White House spokesperson said Epstein was later barred from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club for inappropriate behavior toward female staff.
In a post on X, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department remains committed to transparency and protecting victims, noting that hundreds of staff members worked through the holidays to review the records.
“It truly is an all-hands-on-deck approach, and we’re asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain,” Blanche wrote.
As the Justice Department continues reviewing the remaining records, pressure is also building from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who say the agency has ignored key deadlines in the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Representatives Ro Khanna of California and Thomas Massie of Kentucky said they are considering pursuing inherent contempt, a rarely used House power that could allow Congress to penalize officials who refuse to comply with legal disclosure requirements. In interviews and public comments, the lawmakers have argued that court oversight and internal DOJ promises are not enough to force compliance.
Asked about the possibility of stronger enforcement, Khanna said lawmakers “only need the House for inherent contempt,” adding that “we’re building a bipartisan coalition” and that lawmakers could “fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents.”
Khanna has also warned that officials who obstruct or conceal records could face consequences beyond Congress.
“Any Justice Department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration,” he said.
Massie, who has criticized the heavily redacted releases, said he would measure the outcome by whether survivors believe the disclosures are complete.
Copy edited by Kennedi Bryant
