The Epstein FilesExplainer
The Epstein files so far: what the Justice Department has released
Nearly 3.5 million pages, more than 2,000 videos and more than 180,000 images, by the department’s count. Lawmakers say millions more are still held back.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act became law on November 19, 2025, after passing the House 427 to 1 and the Senate by unanimous consent. It required the Justice Department to publish its unclassified records on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days.
The department released its first large set on December 19, 2025, the law’s deadline. On January 30, 2026, it published more than 3 million more pages, more than 2,000 videos and more than 180,000 images, for a total of nearly 3.5 million pages. The department said that release met the law’s requirements.
Where the records come from
By the department’s account, the files come from the Florida and New York cases against Epstein, the New York case against Maxwell, the New York investigations into Epstein’s death, a Florida case involving a former butler of Epstein’s, several FBI investigations, and the Inspector General’s investigation into Epstein’s death. More than 500 attorneys and reviewers worked on the release.
What was held back
The department says it left out four kinds of material: duplicates between the New York and Florida investigations; material it considers privileged, such as attorney-client and deliberative material; material the law allows it to exclude, such as depictions of violence; and items unrelated to the Epstein or Maxwell case files.
It says redactions were limited to protecting victims and their families, and that no notable people or politicians were redacted. It also warned that the release may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, because it included material the public had sent to the FBI.
The dispute
Lawmakers from both parties say the department has not complied. Rep. Thomas Massie’s office says more than 3 million files are still withheld. In July he and others introduced a second bill to enforce the law, and in October a coalition of state attorneys general urged Congress to pass it.
The department publishes the records at justice.gov/epstein.