All eyes are on the Jeffrey Epstein files, which must be released on Friday, December 19. As the Justice Department is scheduled to release a trove of documents related to a convicted sex offender on Friday, some have been impatient while others have been anxiously waiting for US President Donald Trump’s name to be cleared.
US lawmakers in Congress overwhelmingly supported the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month. When Trump signed the law on Nov. 19, the clock began ticking on a 30-day deadline for the Justice Department to release most of its files related to the Epstein investigation.
“We will continue to follow the law and promote maximum transparency,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said on November 19.
Here’s the latest on the Epstein files and Friday’s deadline:
1. Democrats released a new tranche of Epstein photos on Dec. 18, ahead of a legal deadline for the Justice Department to release them.
Earlier on Dec. 3, Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee released images from Epstein’s private island that show various rooms and items found around the island.
Then, on December 12, House Democrats released 89 images that included photos of sex toys and slavery, and in particular, images of Epstein with big names like Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
And on Dec. 18, the same group of lawmakers dropped another batch of images, including some with foreign passports without identifying information and phrases from the book “Lolita” written on female body parts.
2. While it’s unclear exactly how and when the files will be released, an exception in the law also allows the Justice Department to choose to withhold certain documents.
It is understood that the disclosures may not be complete, as the agency may have to withhold material that could affect the Trump-ordered investigation of Democratic figures associated with Epstein.
“The department will also protect the identity of any sex trafficking victims whose names appear in the documents,” Bondi said.
3. Some Epstein-related materials have made progress since the law was passed. On December 10, a U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan ordered the release of records from the Epstein investigation to a grand jury.
A day earlier, another judge granted a similar request in the case of Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
4. If released, the files could contain hundreds of thousands of pages related to the investigation into the late sex trafficker, including other claims by victims and the names of his high-ranking associates, the Guardian reported.
The documents could also reveal how Epstein – who counted Trump and former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor among his powerful friends – evaded justice for decades.
5. In early February of this year, Bondi announced that her office had released files related to Epstein. This first release, Bondi’s office said, “largely contains documents that were previously leaked but never officially released by the US government.”
