DOJ fails to fully comply with Friday deadline for Epstein files release

DOJ fails to fully comply with Friday deadline for Epstein files release

Spread the love

The U.S. Department of Justice will not release the entirety of the federal government’s files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein by the end of day Friday, failing to fully comply with a mandate from Congress.

DOJ will release several hundred thousand documents, however, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Fox News interview. He estimated that “several hundred thousand more” will be released “over the next couple of weeks.”

The delay, Blanche explained, is due to the significant number of redactions that the department must complete in order to protect the identifications of witnesses and victims in the files.

By failing to fully comply with a congressional edict, lawmakers would have grounds to impeach or hold U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress.

Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 18, which President Donald Trump signed into law the next day.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., requires that the U.S. Attorney General “make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice” that relate to Epstein and his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

“Any Justice Department official who does not comply with this law will be subject to prosecution for obstruction of justice,” Khanna vowed.

Epstein died in jail awaiting trial in 2019 and Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, billionaire businessman Bill Gates, and dozens of other high-profile figures have received intense public scrutiny for their connections with Epstein and Maxwell.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Poll: Majority of Americans still support legal immigration

Poll: Majority of Americans still support legal immigration

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A majority of Americans say that legal immigration is good for the United States, according to a new poll commissioned by The Center Square. The...
New Illinois youth center begins housing youth in Lincoln

New Illinois youth center begins housing youth in Lincoln

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) - After a short delay to finalize staffing and safety preparations, the new Monarch Center in Lincoln...
State officials urge Trump, Congress to address national debt

State officials urge Trump, Congress to address national debt

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and a coalition of state financial officers and lawmakers are urging Congress and President Donald Trump to address the national debt...
Will County P&Z Logo Planning Zoning

Committee Advances Special Use Permit for Used Car Dealership in New Lenox Township

Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | November 18, 2025 Article Summary:The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a special use permit for a light equipment sales...
Bus 210

Lincoln-Way 210 to Purchase 31 Buses, Citing Major Savings Over Leasing

Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Meeting | November 20, 2025 Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education approved the purchase of 28 yellow school buses and three white...
War Department, VA have highest number of unresolved audit recommendations

War Department, VA have highest number of unresolved audit recommendations

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Of the 15 federal executive departments that compose the president’s Cabinet, the Departments of War and Veterans Affairs have the most unresolved, open recommendations for...
Nearly 550 truck drivers cited for not understanding English in Illinois YTD

Nearly 550 truck drivers cited for not understanding English in Illinois YTD

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The number of English language proficiency violations for commercial drivers in Illinois year-to-date has nearly eclipsed last...
Envelopes with white powder sent to two Texas ICE offices, no public threat

Envelopes with white powder sent to two Texas ICE offices, no public threat

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Texas remains ground zero for targeted attacks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. In the past few months, ICE facilities in Texas have been...
Georgia GOP thanks Greene; Trump says she 'went bad'

Georgia GOP thanks Greene; Trump says she ‘went bad’

By Kim JarrettThe Center Square Less than 24 hours after the surprise resignation of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican received thanks from the state Republican Party and...
Texas governor, members of Congress lead effort to ban Sharia law in US

Texas governor, members of Congress lead effort to ban Sharia law in US

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square An anti-Sharia law movement is being led by Texas Republicans, including Texas’ governor and members of Congress. Gov. Greg Abbott this week issued three directives...
California loses one taxpayer per minute, Florida gains

California loses one taxpayer per minute, Florida gains

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Florida welcomes a new taxpayer about every two minutes while California loses one about every minute, according to new data. An analysis of data from...
Screenshot 2025-11-21 at 1.05.10 PM

Manhattan Appoints Rosemaria DiBenedetto as New Village Administrator

Manhattan Village Board Meeting | November 18, 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Village Board on Tuesday appointed Rosemaria DiBenedetto, a public administrator with over 30 years of municipal government experience,...
Meeting Briefs

Manhattan School Board Honors Top Student-Athletes and Academic Achievers

Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025 Article Summary:The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education celebrated student excellence by recognizing three cross country state qualifiers and three...
Meeting Briefs

Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Executive Committee for November 13, 2025

Will County Board Executive Committee Meeting | November 13, 2025 The Will County Board’s Executive Committee met on Thursday, November 13, 2025, with its agenda dominated by a lengthy series...
SCOTUS issues stay in Texas redistricting case

SCOTUS issues stay in Texas redistricting case

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting it to stay a federal district court ruling in a...