President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a law ordering his administration to release the entire file on Jeffrey Epstein, starting the deadline for the Justice Department to release the documents before the end of December; However, it remains to be seen how many documents he will make public.
Key data
The law requires the Justice Department to release the record on Epstein within 30 days of it taking effect, which occurred immediately after Trump signed it on Wednesday.
This means that the Department of Justice must publish the file no later than December 19.
It is not yet clear when the documents will be released, or whether the Trump administration might choose to make them public in several batches, as it did when turning over Epstein-related documents to the House Oversight Committee.
Once the files are released, the Justice Department will have 15 days to submit a summary of the redacted portions, the categories of documents released and withheld, and a complete list of all government officials and politically exposed persons mentioned or referenced in the documents.
This means that all information related to Epstein’s files must be published no later than January 5, 2026.
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What Epstein documents could be withheld?
One exception to the Dec. 19 deadline is documents related to an ongoing federal investigation, which the Justice Department can temporarily withhold under law while the investigation is ongoing. Critics fear that the Trump administration will use this measure to keep many documents hidden, after having launched a new investigation into people linked to Epstein.
Bondi confirmed last week that, at Trump’s direction, the agency is investigating Epstein’s ties to people and institutions such as former President Bill Clinton, Democratic mogul Reid Hoffman, economist Larry Summers and JP Morgan Chase. However, he did not respond Wednesday to questions about whether the investigation would be limited to those people and entities, or if it could be broader.
Since the investigation has just begun, it is likely to last several months, meaning no documents will be published until well into 2026 at the earliest. The law also allows several other categories of information to be withheld, including any data that identifies Epstein’s victims, is classified, or describes child abuse.
What has the Department of Justice said?
Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged Wednesday to comply with the law, telling reporters that the Justice Department “will act with maximum transparency, protecting victims.” He did not comment on which files might be redacted or withheld, nor did he provide a possible timeline. They also did not specify how they would disclose the files.
Which Epstein files will be made public?
The new law requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disclose anything related to investigations or legal proceedings against Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs related to Epstein, internal DOJ communications about Epstein, and documentation related to his death in 2019.
The DOJ must also turn over any information known about Epstein that officials may have destroyed, altered or concealed, as well as the names of any corporate entities linked to Epstein’s trafficking or financial networks and any individuals who are mentioned or referenced in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities.
Read more: Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein: complete timeline
What have the legislators said?
Even Republican lawmakers urged the DOJ to calm the public by releasing as many files as possible. “I think (the Trump administration) would do well to figure out how to release as much information as possible and then have a very well-founded reason for what they can’t release,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, told The Hill. “If they don’t present something meaningful, it will only make things worse.”
Lawmakers cited the nearly unanimous vote in favor of the legislation — only Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Louisiana, voted against it in the House of Representatives — as a clear direction for the Justice Department to comply with the law.
“Obviously, it would be a mistake because Congress has already spoken,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, told The Hill about any attempt by the Justice Department to withhold documents, while Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, told CNN that he would “be very surprised if they tried, given the enormous bipartisan support for this measure and the president’s backing.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, told CNN that Congress will use other avenues to push for the release of any information that remains hidden.
Key context
Congress forced the release of Epstein’s files after the Justice Department announced over the summer that it would not voluntarily release any more documents, sparking a strong backlash following prior commitments by Bondi and other top officials to make the files public.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced the Epstein files bill and pushed it to a vote in the House of Representatives through a direct passage petition, which allows a bill to skip the usual committee process and go directly to the floor.
While the bill initially stalled and received support from only a few Republicans, it gained momentum after Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) provided the key signature last week, prompting its vote in the House.
Trump initially opposed the bill and reportedly pressured Republicans who signed the petition to withdraw their support, but changed his mind when reports suggested that a large number of Republican lawmakers ultimately planned to vote in favor of the bill.
The president encouraged House Republicans on Sunday to vote for the bill because “it’s time to put this Democratic farce behind us.” The bill ultimately passed the House of Representatives with a near-unanimous vote and was then unanimously approved by the Senate just hours later.
This article was originally published in Forbes US
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