WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will not meet a congressionally mandated deadline to deliver all unclassified Jeffrey Epstein records to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News on Friday morning, despite a federal law requiring their release.
Blanche said the department has begun complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but acknowledged it will fall short of the law’s deadline for full disclosure.
As reported by The Hill, Blanche said the Justice Department planned to release several hundred thousand documents on Friday “and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”
A Deadline Written Into Law
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in November, requires the Justice Department to make public all unclassified records related to Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, within 30 days.
The law also mandates that DOJ provide Congress with an unredacted list of government officials and politically exposed persons referenced in the files.
That deadline arrives today.
Partial Release Begins
On Friday, DOJ began releasing several hundred thousand pages of documents, including investigative records, photographs, and materials from multiple probes into Epstein’s activities.
Blanche acknowledged, however, that the department will not complete the full transfer of records by the statutory deadline, despite what he described as an aggressive internal push to comply.
DOJ Cites Volume and Victim Protections
Justice Department officials say the sheer scale of the records — combined with the need to protect victim identities and sensitive information — has made full compliance impossible within the timeframe set by Congress.
According to officials, attorneys have been working under tight deadlines to review and redact thousands of pages, creating significant internal strain as teams attempt to balance speed with legal and ethical obligations.
The Hill continues:
“So today is the 30 days when I expect that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today. And those documents will come in in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with, with all of the investigations into, into Mr. Epstein,” Blanche said.
“What we’re doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story, to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected. And so I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks. So today, several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”
DOJ was compelled to turn over the files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by a bill that got near-unanimous support in Congress, signed into law after President Trump reversed his earlier stance opposing their release.
While the bill does allow for redactions related to victims and for DOJ to withhold some information about the investigation, it does not provide a rolling deadline to turn over the documents.
Under the statute, DOJ is required to provide an explanation for any records it withholds within 15 days.
Lawmakers Warn of Consequences
Some members of Congress, including co-sponsors of the Transparency Act, have warned that delays or partial compliance could amount to a violation of the law and expose the department to legal consequences.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have separately begun releasing batches of Epstein-related materials obtained from Epstein’s estate, arguing the Justice Department is moving too slowly and that full transparency is long overdue.
What Comes Next
DOJ officials say additional large document releases are planned in the coming weeks. Still, Blanche’s admission makes clear the department will miss the law’s first major deadline.
The delay is likely to sharpen scrutiny from Congress and could trigger further oversight or legal action as lawmakers assess whether the department is complying with both the letter and the intent of the new law.
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Seems like this could have been done before now?
The Barbie-AG is worthless.
There should BE NO REDACTION! What are they hding? The exact name of a victim can be easily x’d out.