New Epstein files expected — here’s the latest
Today’s the deadline for the Justice Department to release its files related to the well-connected financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Last month, President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, setting a 30-day countdown for them to be released no later than today.
So what might the new files contain? Business Insider has answers to your most pressing questions and the latest developments — follow along below.
A pair of top House Democrats threaten legal action if there is any delay in release of files.
“We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law,” Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California said in a joint statement. “The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ.”
Raskin and Garcia serve as the top Democrats on the powerful House Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Committee, respectively. Since Democrats control neither chamber of Congress, their power to force the immediate disclosure of the documents is more limited.
Don’t expect the DOJ to release all of its Epstein files on Friday
Earlier today, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department would not meet the legal deadline imposed by bipartisan legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law in November that requires the DOJ to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” regarding Epstein and his conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more,” Blanche said during an interview on Fox News.
Other documents have been made public over the years through the federal prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator, was found guilty of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Civil lawsuits involving Epstein, Maxwell, banks affiliated with Epstein, and the US Virgin Islands government have shaken loose even more details about his life. Various drips and drabs have also entered the public domain through Freedom of Information Act requests, government reports, and an inquiry from the Senate Finance Committee.
All of that may pale in comparison to what the Justice Department has in its possession.
Haven’t we already seen a whole lot of ‘Epstein files’?
The short answer? Yes. In recent months, the House Oversight Committee has made public Epstein-related documents it obtained through subpoenas, including emails provided by his estate and never-before-seen photos of some of Epstein’s powerful acquaintances, including Trump, Bill Gates, Larry Summers, and Steve Bannon.
Those disclosures have already led to some fallout. Summers, a former Treasury Secretary, has been barred from the American Economic Association for life and is no longer teaching classes at Harvard University, pending an investigation.
Other documents have been made public over the years through the federal prosecution of Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Civil lawsuits involving Epstein, Maxwell, banks affiliated with Epstein, and the US Virgin Islands government have shaken loose even more details about his life. Various drips and drabs have also entered the public domain through Freedom of Information Act requests, government reports, and an inquiry from the Senate Finance Committee.
All of that may pale in comparison to what the Justice Department has in its possession.
Catch up on the key background details
Epstein killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. He was known for rubbing elbows with powerful people — even after he was convicted of soliciting sex from a minor in 2008. Over the years, he has counted Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and other titans of finance, law, politics, and science among his acquaintances.
While a past relationship with Epstein is no indication of wrongdoing, his victims and other members of the public have pushed for the disclosure in hopes that the DOJ’s records might shed light on those relationships and law enforcement’s handling of the case.
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