DOJ Releases More Epstein Files, Says Some Documents Contain False Claims

Some 30,000 additional pages were released, the Justice Department said, noting that some documents contain ‘untrue and sensationalist claims.’

The seal of the Justice Department on the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference in Washington on Jan. 24, 2023. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday morning released thousands of documents related to the now-deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in the latest batch of files.

The Epstein files that were released included nearly 30,000 additional pages, according to a DOJ statement posted on X, but it warned that some claims contained in the documents were falsely made against President Donald Trump.

“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the statement said.

“To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.

“Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims.”

Last month, a law passed in Congress called the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandated that the DOJ produce all records related to Epstein, accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and any other possible co-conspirators by Dec. 19. The DOJ has started the process of releasing those files, with officials saying that not all of the records would be released on that day.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a media interview over the weekend that the DOJ is working to make redactions to files about possible victims of Epstein, and that some redactions are due to the recently passed law.

“The reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that to protect victims,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

The DOJ, he added, is “going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the [Epstein Files] Transparency Act expects.”

In a statement on Saturday evening, the DOJ wrote that it re-released 119 pages of materials related to Epstein and Maxwell that had been entirely redacted, responding to a news article on Dec. 19 that said that dozens of pages of grand jury materials were totally redacted.

“Documents and photos will continue to be reviewed consistent with the law and with an abundance of caution for victims and their families,” the department wrote in a statement posted to X that included a link to the files.

Maxwell, Epstein’s onetime girlfriend, is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking crimes.

Epstein was found dead in a New York City jail cell in August 2019 following his arrest on sex trafficking charges, with the local medical examiner’s office ruling it a suicide by hanging.

Responding to the redactions, congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans said they want an investigation into the matter.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on ABC’s “This Week” that there needs “to be a full and complete explanation and then a full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.