Overview
- The Justice Department said the FBI and SDNY located over one million additional Epstein-related documents, with publication expected in the coming weeks after legal redactions, and warned that some allegations in the material are unverified.
- The department missed the December 19 release deadline set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, drawing Democratic accusations of a legal breach as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche cited victim-protection requirements.
- A purported Epstein letter referencing “our president” was deemed a forgery by an FBI analysis that cited mismatched handwriting, a Northern Virginia postmark, and the absence of a required inmate number.
- Photos of an Austrian passport bearing Epstein’s image but another name were included in the files, though Austria reports no record of such a passport and the document’s travel stamps remain unverified.
- Independent reviews reported that some DOJ redactions were poorly applied and could be reversed, raising concerns about the quality of the release and potential exposure of sensitive information restricted only for victim data under the law.