Original Article By Charlie McCarthy
The Justice Department will release “several hundred thousand” items from the Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday, with a similar amount coming in “the next couple of weeks,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Blanche told Fox News the first tranche will include “photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations” into convicted sex trafficker Epstein.
The deputy attorney general said the disclosure was fulfilling President Donald Trump’s long-stated call for transparency, while accusing Democrats of “radio silence” during the Biden administration despite now demanding immediate disclosure.
Blanche stressed that the department’s top priority is protecting victims, saying officials are reviewing “every single piece of paper” to ensure names and identifying information are redacted.
He said a federal judge in New York has also required review by the U.S. attorney’s office there to help safeguard victim information before release.
Blanche acknowledged the DOJ would not provide Congress the full set of unclassified files by the deadline, instead delivering a partial batch Friday and more in the coming weeks — a timetable some lawmakers argue is not what the law stipulates.
The Hill noted the statute permits redactions and limited withholding but does not explicitly establish a “rolling” disclosure deadline.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the lawmakers pushing for the vote that forced action on the bill, has argued the requirements are straightforward and warned there could be consequences for noncompliance, including the obligation for DOJ to provide a rationale for any materials withheld.
On Friday, Blanche was asked whether the new disclosures would lead to fresh prosecutions. He replied there are “no new charges coming” related to Epstein as of Friday but added that the matter remains under investigation.
The release comes as the statutory clock runs out under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan measure that compels the DOJ to make public unclassified Epstein-related records and allows redactions to protect victims and preserve active investigative equities.
For the Trump administration, the high-profile document dump is being sold as a transparency milestone and a direct rebuttal to years of public frustration over what the government knows about disgraced financier Epstein’s network and how the case was handled.
The Washington Post reported the release is expected to include a broad mix of investigative records and related materials, with victim-protection redactions expected and additional installments planned.
Blanche signaled that the administration’s intent is to publish everything the law allows, protect victims, and let the chips fall where they may, regardless of whose reputations are implicated.
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