Chile! The public has yet to forget about THOSE records! Truth is, the clock is ticking for the U.S. government to open up its files on Jeffrey Epstein. After months of slow progress, Congress has passed, and President Donald Trump has signed a law requiring the Justice Department to give the public everything it has on Epstein. And it has to happen before Christmas.
Here’s everything you need to know about the pending release, from the due date to what will be included, as reported by The Associated Press.
When Did The Police Start Investigating Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was a millionaire money manager known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite.
Police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex. The FBI then joined the investigation. However, Epstein made a secret deal with the U.S. attorney in Florida to avoid federal charges. Instead, he was allowed to plead guilty in 2008 to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.
Then, in 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term, Manhattan federal prosecutors revived the case. Prosecutors charged Epstein with sex trafficking, alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. He killed himself in jail a month after his arrest.
In 2021, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted Epstein’s longtime confidant and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, of sex trafficking. She helped recruit some of his underage victims and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Judge Rules DOJ Is On Deadline To Unseal Jeffrey Epstein Files
On Wednesday (Dec. 10), a judge ruled that secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman was the third judge to reverse earlier decisions to keep Epstein-related case material under wraps.
All three judges cited the new law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It requires the government to open its files on both Epstein and his convicted wingwoman, Ghislaine Maxwell. As public and political pressure mounted, including from some Trump allies, Congress swiftly passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 18. President Trump signed it into law the following day, given that DOJ 30 days to act. The agency’s deadline to make the documents public in a searchable and downloadable format is Dec. 19.
#1
Can Anything Delay The Release?
The Epstein Files Transparency Act allows the Justice Department to withhold files that it claims could jeopardize an active federal investigation—a longstanding DOJ policy. Files can also be withheld if they’re labeled classified or about national defense or foreign policy.
For context, the investigations into Epstein and Maxwell are long over. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi last week ordered a top federal prosecutor to lead an investigation into people who knew Epstein and some of Trump’s political foes, including Bill Clinton. That investigation, urged by Trump, could give the government grounds to hold back some of the material temporarily. However, the Justice Department has previously found no evidence to support this probe.
#2
Some Files Related To Epstein Are Already Public
Judge Berman has warned that the materials set to be released are hardly eye-opening. There will likely be never-before-seen content in the thousands of pages from the Florida transcripts and other Jeffrey Epstein-related files. However, before Congress got involved, tens of thousands of pages of records were released over the years.
All from civil lawsuits, Epstein and Maxwell’s public criminal case dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. Information like police reports written in Florida, state grand jury records, depositions of Epstein’s employees, his flight records, and his address book is already available. Also, in July, the Justice Department released surveillance video from the jail on the night Epstein died.
Even the FBI has previously released some Epstein-related files. The agency posted more than 1,400 pages to its website. However, much of the material was redacted and some hidden because it was under seal.
#3
So, What Will Be In These New Files?
Records related to the aborted Florida investigation, the Manhattan investigations, and anything else the DOJ did to examine Jeffrey Epstein’s dealings in the time in between. This could include notes and reports written by FBI agents; transcripts of witness interviews, photographs, videos and other evidence. Additionally, the Jeffrey Epstein files may consist of his autopsy report.
#4
What About The Rumored Client List?
And don’t expect a “client list” of famous men who partied with Jeffrey Epstein. Though there have been rumors about such a list, the Justice Department said in July that it doesn’t exist. The DOJ also didn’t find credible evidence that Epstein had “blackmailed prominent individuals,” the DOJ memo said. This memo update came after Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News in February that the “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”
#5
What Isn't Authorized For Release Under The Law?
Anything containing information that could identify a victim. The Epstein Files Transparency Act allows the Justice Department to withhold or redact records that, if made public, would constitute “a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
Also, the law bans the release of any materials depicting the sexual abuse of kids, or images of death, physical abuse, or injury. That means that if videos or photos exist of Jeffrey Epstein or anyone else sexually abusing underage girls, they can’t be made public.
However, the law also makes clear that no records shall be withheld or redacted to save face. So, files can’t be stopped from being released just because they may cause embarrassment or reputational harm to any public figure, government official or foreign dignitary.
Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
