Nearly 48,000 files from the investigation into convicted paedophile and pimp Jeffrey Epstein have yet to be released by the US Department of Justice, despite more than 2 million pages of documents already being released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The first phase of mandatory releases included more than 3 million pages of material, but after a review, the total number of available documents is now estimated at about 2.7 million pages.
47,635 files temporarily removed from the system
A spokesperson for the department told both outlets that “47,635 files have been temporarily removed from the system for additional review and are expected to be restored by the end of the week.”
The files that have been temporarily removed also include documents related to unconfirmed allegations against US President Donald Trump (please also read the analysis titled “President Trump accused of raping 13-year-old girl – Blackmail from Israel, Kushner’s “shady” role with Russia“).
Why the delay?
Department spokeswoman Natalie Baldassare explained that the delay was related to the need to protect survivors and edit the material. As she said, “our team is working continuously to address the concerns of victims, remove personally identifiable information and any sexually explicit images,” noting that all documents will be returned to the Internet once the necessary deletions and editing are completed.
Documents linked to Donald Trump
The US Department of Justice is also currently reviewing documents related to allegations against US President Donald Trump, which are among the more than 47,000 files missing from the total collection of nearly 3 million documents.
According to authorities, the material includes FBI interview summaries based on unconfirmed allegations by a woman who came forward after Epstein’s arrest in 2019. The woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted by both Epstein and Trump decades ago when she was still a minor, according to documents released by the department.
The allegations are “baseless and false” for the US Department of Justice
In a statement issued in January, the Justice Department noted that some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist allegations against the US president, which were reportedly submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 presidential election. The statement describes these allegations as “baseless and false.”
“We will examine every piece of evidence”
Meanwhile, members of Congress who are conducting separate investigations into the Epstein case are pressing the Justice Department to commit to fully releasing all of its records.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats have launched a broad effort at congressional oversight of the case.
“We will examine every piece of evidence,” he said at a press briefing on February 26. “We will pursue every piece of information and speak to potential informants.”
Donald Trump’s stance
For his part, Donald Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that he severed ties with Epstein years before the investigations into the financier began. Epstein died in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.
Trump has also called the push for full disclosure of the files a “scam” by Democratic officials, and has sued the Wall Street Journal for a report that claimed he had sent a letter to Epstein — a claim he has called “false, malicious and defamatory.”
Under legislation signed by the president in November, the Justice Department was required to release all records related to the Epstein investigation by Dec. 19.
In the documents that have already been released, Trump’s name appears thousands of times, as he maintained social relations with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s. In fact, at one point Epstein referred to Trump as “his closest friend.”
However, the US president has not been charged with a criminal offense, and the mention of a person in the Epstein case files does not necessarily imply involvement in illegal activity.
