The Justice Department has released more than 300,000 pages of unclassified Jeffrey Epstein case files.
The Justice Department has released more than 300,000 pages of unclassified Jeffrey Epstein case files.The files were released Friday afternoon to comply with a law passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he expects "several hundred thousand" more to be released in coming weeks, prompting Democrats to threaten legal action for not releasing them in full by the Dec. 19 deadline. Here’s the latest:4:10 p.m. ET: The files were released on a Justice Department website in a searchable format. You can view the website and search the files here.The trove of files includes photographs, call logs, grand jury testimony and some documents and records that have already been in the public domain.This story will be updated as LiveNow from FOX examines the files. The files were expected to include never-before-seen material, but a lot has already been made public, including by Congress and through litigation.RELATED: New Epstein photos shared a day before case files deadlineBefore the Justice Department released the case files, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee shared at least three batches of photos from Epstein’s estate, a small part of more than 95,000 files Congress has received. The photos – shared without captions or context – are separate from the case files released by the Department of Justice today. RELATED: New photos from Epstein’s estate show Trump, Bill Clinton and moreThose photos shed light on the powerful figures in Epstein’s circle, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the former Prince Andrew, among others.The Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump, requires the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents and investigative materials, including files relating to immunity deals and internal communications, by Dec. 19. The Justice Department has to make the documents public in a searchable and downloadable format.RELATED: Here's who voted against releasing the Epstein filesThe Justice Department may withhold or redact records that, if made public, would constitute "a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." It also bars the release of any materials depicting the sexual abuse of children, or images of death, physical abuse, or injury.That means that if videos or photos exist of Epstein or anyone else sexually abusing underage girls, they can’t be made public. But the law also makes clear that no records shall be withheld or redacted — meaning certain parts are blacked out — solely because their release would cause embarrassment or reputational harm to any public figure, government official or foreign dignitary.RELATED: Epstein emails say Trump 'spent hours' with one of Epstein's victimsEpstein, a wealthy financier, was known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite, including Trump and Clinton. He was first accused of sexually abusing underage girls in 2005, but Epstein made a secret deal with the U.S. attorney in Florida to avoid federal charges, enabling him to plead guilty in 2008 to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.In 2019, Manhattan federal prosecutors revived the case and charged Epstein with sex trafficking, alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. He killed himself in jail a month after his arrest.RELATED: Ghislaine Maxwell case: Judge grants request to unseal case recordsEpstein’s longtime friend and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping recruit some of his underage victims.
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