Congress has officially received the first batch of Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Justice Department turned over a tranche of materials related to the case against the late, convicted sex offender Friday afternoon.
These documents — transmitted in compliance with a subpoena issued earlier this month by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — represent only a portion of what DOJ has in its possession and it’s not immediately clear what sort of information lawmakers currently have available to them. The documents are expected to have heavy redactions.
The Oversight Committee now plans to review the materials, with both Democrats and Republicans having access. While under a typical arrangement, the majority — in this case Republicans — would control its disclosure, either party could release the materials unilaterally.
Committee Republicans have pledged to coordinate with the Justice Department to protect the identities of victims and ensure certain details do not complicate ongoing criminal matters. A spokesperson for the panel’s chair, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said in a statement that DOJ’s production of materials Friday “contains thousands of pages of documents.”
“The Committee intends to make these records public after thorough review to ensure any victims’ identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted,” the spokesperson said. “The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations.”
Democrats also intend to review the files before releasing them publicly, according to a person familiar with Oversight Democrats’ planning, speaking on condition of anonymity to share party strategy.
“We just received the first batch of the Epstein files from Trump’s Department of Justice. Our team is beginning a careful review process. We will share additional information as we learn more,” said ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) in a social media post.
There’s no current time estimate for when the public will be able to see the files. One personal familiar with the transmission of the files, granted anonymity to describe private details, said the tranche encompasses more than 33,000 documents.
The Epstein saga has brought together strange bedfellows in Congress. Democrats sought to stoke divisions among Donald Trump’s base over the administration’s initial decision to withhold much of the information in the Epstein case after the president’s allies for years clamored for the release of the files. Meanwhile, many Republicans called the administration’s perceived about-face an affront to earlier promises of bringing transparency around the charges against Epstein, who died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019.
The House Oversight subpoena for the Epstein files was the culmination of this unlikely bipartisan partnership, where committee Democrats were able to get enough Republicans to join them in a surprise vote to force the release of the DOJ materials.
The Justice Department’s compliance, however, is unlikely to satisfy clamoring for a more expansive unsealing of the documents, with plans from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a floor vote on their resolution to compel the full release of the Epstein files soon after Congress returns Sept. 2 from its month-long recess.
The Oversight GOP spokesperson defended the administration’s approach to delivering the files to lawmakers.
“The Trump DOJ is providing records at a far quicker pace than anything the Biden DOJ ever provided,” the spokesperson said. “In fact, former Attorney General Garland obstructed Chairman Comer’s subpoena for the audio of Special Counsel Hur’s interview with President Biden to hide his cognitive decline.”
Comer has an ongoing investigation into alleged efforts inside former President Joe Biden’s White House to hide evidence he was no longer fit for office.
At around the same time word trickled out that Congress was in possession of the first batch of Epstein documents, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the public release of audio and redacted transcripts of his interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
