Overview
- President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Wednesday, setting a December 19 deadline for the Justice Department to release its unclassified Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell records.
- Late Friday, DOJ asked a Florida court to unseal grand jury materials, arguing the new law permits public disclosure, after earlier bids in Florida and New York were rejected.
- The release is expected to draw from extensive holdings, including more than 70 seized devices, financial records and CDs from 2019 searches, along with internal prosecutorial files and communications estimated at roughly 300 gigabytes.
- The law allows narrow withholdings for victim privacy, national security and active cases, requires written explanations for any redactions, bars withholding for embarrassment or political sensitivity, and directs a list of government officials in the files to congressional judiciary panels.
- Survivors voiced cautious hope and reported receiving death threats as the release nears, pressing for full disclosure and protection, while DOJ has told Congress it found no incriminating “client list.”