Epstein files: Schumer accuses Trump team of breaking law with partial release

A handout photo issued by the US Department of Justice appearing to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reclining across the laps of five people (US Department of Justice/PA) US Department of Justice

The US Department of Justice released several hundred thousand documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday night, meeting a legally mandated deadline. The massive file dump caused the department's website to crash immediately, with users placed in queues as the system struggled to handle the overwhelming traffic.

The release includes court records, images, flight logs, contact books, and victim statements from investigations into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Among the documents is Epstein's contact book featuring thousands of names, though addresses and phone numbers have been redacted. A document titled "D Masseuse List" contains 254 entries, all blacked out.

Images show various prominent figures who had contact with Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for sex trafficking. Other photos feature celebrities and politicians at events or on Epstein's properties. Officials stressed that appearing in the files does not imply wrongdoing or involvement in Epstein's crimes.

Many images show women with their faces redacted to protect victim identities. The Justice Department identified more than 1,200 victims and their families during the review process.

Phased Release Strategy

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News that hundreds of thousands of additional documents will be released over the next couple of weeks. «What we're doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story, to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected,» Blanche said.

The staggered approach has drawn criticism from some lawmakers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated earlier on Friday: «The Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law.»

Legal Mandate

The release fulfills requirements under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law on November 19. The act passed the House 427-1 and received unanimous Senate consent, compelling the Justice Department to make unclassified Epstein investigation materials public within 30 days.

Trump initially opposed the disclosure, calling it a "Democrat hoax," but reversed his position as the legislation gained bipartisan momentum. The act includes exemptions allowing redactions to protect victims' privacy and materials that could jeopardize active investigations.

A privacy notice on the Justice Department's website acknowledged that despite redaction efforts, the «volume of information» might still inadvertently contain sensitive content «to include matters of a sexual nature.»

Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).