The US Department of Justice on Friday released a vast new trove of records connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, publishing more than three million pages of documents along with thousands of videos and images, following months of pressure from Congress and victims’ advocates to make the material public.
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the disclosure at a news conference, calling it the culmination of a lengthy review process under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. According to the DOJ, the release includes more than 3 million pages of records, over 2,000 videos and approximately 180,000 images, many of which had been withheld from an initial batch of documents made public in December.
“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance with the act,” Blanche said.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed almost unanimously by both chambers of Congress in November, obliges the federal government to release all documents related to Epstein’s criminal investigation and prosecution, subject to limited redactions. The DOJ had previously missed a December 19 deadline to publish the complete archive, drawing criticism from lawmakers across party lines.
Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His case has continued to generate intense public scrutiny due to his ties to prominent politicians, business leaders and members of royalty.
The release also carries political significance for US President Donald Trump, who had long resisted efforts to declassify federal records related to Epstein. Trump socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, though he has denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes. The president ultimately acquiesced after the transparency legislation cleared Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Among the newly released documents are records that cast fresh light on Epstein’s continued contacts with powerful figures even after his first conviction. One file indicates that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick planned to have lunch at Epstein’s private Caribbean island years after publicly stating that he had severed ties with the financier. Lutnick and Epstein were previously neighbors in New York.
The island, Little Saint James, has been described by prosecutors as a key location where Epstein sexually trafficked underage girls. The Justice Department has said the island functioned as a central hub in Epstein’s abuse network.
Another document reveals an email exchange between Epstein and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. In the correspondence, dated Christmas Day 2012, Musk thanked Epstein for an invitation to visit Little Saint James but declined, citing exhaustion.
“The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for,” Musk wrote, adding that he had been “working to the edge of sanity.”
Other emails included in the release appear to show Epstein offering access to specific women to New York Giants chairman Steve Tisch, who is also a prominent Hollywood producer best known for “Forrest Gump.” In one exchange from May 2013, Epstein told Tisch about a Russian woman, prompting Tisch to reply, “Is she fun?”
Messages that Epstein apparently drafted to Microsoft founder Bill Gates were also made public. In one draft email, Epstein alleged that Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs and claimed to have facilitated Gates’s access to drugs and women.
The Gates Foundation swiftly rejected the allegations. In a statement to The New York Times, the foundation said, “These claims — from a proven, disgruntled liar — are absolutely absurd and completely false.”
The newly released records also detail efforts by US prosecutors in 2021 to interview Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, as part of a broader sex trafficking investigation linked to Epstein. Prince Andrew, a member of the British royal family, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing but was stripped of his royal titles and military affiliations last year due to the controversy surrounding his relationship with Epstein.
Despite the scale of Friday’s disclosure, several Democratic lawmakers argued that the release remains incomplete. Representative Ro Khanna of California, a co-sponsor of the transparency act, said the DOJ identified more than six million pages of potentially responsive material but published only about 3.5 million pages after review and redactions.
“Failing to release these files only shields the powerful individuals who were involved and hurts the public’s trust in our institutions,” Khanna said.
Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico went further, accusing Blanche of misleading the public. “This. Is. A. Cover-up. Plain and simple,” she said in a statement.
The DOJ has maintained that remaining materials were withheld to protect victims’ identities and comply with privacy laws. However, critics argue that excessive redactions risk undermining the stated goal of transparency.
