The Epstein files opened: from provocative photos to call logs – what’s in them and what’s still missing?
The Justice Department on Friday released thousands of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
But vast numbers of documents remain unreleased. Congress had given the DOJ a December 19 deadline to release all records it has.
Over the past month, the DOJ and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers gradually made available some files.
Many of these files were taken from Epstein’s estate, which is separate from state and federal investigative records.
The newly released collection is available online and includes:
• Transcript of Maxwell’s interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch • Surveillance video from the prison where Epstein killed himself in 2019 •
Flight logs documenting trips from the Virgin Islands to Palm Beach • A handwritten note asking an unknown person to gather a “bucket of roses” to give to someone at their “high school” •
Scanned pages from How to Book a Massage for Dummies •
A graphic police interview with a woman who said she was recruited to give Epstein partially nude massages when she was a minor. • Redacted government documents are displayed in a photo illustration in Washington, DC.
This occurred on December 19, 2025, after the Justice Department released records of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Photographs of Bill Clinton in a hot tub, Michael Jackson with Epstein, and former Prince Andrew lying in women’s laps are displayed.
Photographs of Epstein’s property, including a photo of a cheque that President Trump allegedly gave to Epstein,
The photographs include a cheque that President Trump allegedly gave to Epstein, which is framed with the caption ”
Once in a Blue Moon”, as well as an image of Epstein standing over four women who are all wearing the same outfit and posing with their hands in a prayer posture.
hands in prayer posture. Further releases are expected, but no timetable has been provided for when the remaining files will be made public.
What is not included in the Epstein files?
The tranche disclosed Friday included only a small portion of the total files, which the department has said exceeds 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence.
Financial records, internal memos from prosecutors investigating Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, key material obtained from searches of Epstein’s luxury homes
— none of it features prominently in the documents released Friday. And there is no explanation for how Epstein became so rich.
Some of those pages include the names of Epstein’s survivors, as well as an entirely blacked-out document called the “Massage List.”.
Much of the material was heavily redacted or had already been made public, Politico reported, limiting its contribution to understanding the case. Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee,
estimated that those documents represented about 10 per cent of the material in the department’s possession. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch acknowledged the incompleteness of the release, saying, “As our review continues,
Additional responsive materials will be produced consistent with the law and to protect victims.”
Blanch’s letter to Congress indicated that document production should be finished by the end of the year, although no specific timetable was provided for subsequent disclosures.
How did the Democrats respond?
Several members of Congress expressed disappointment over the limited release. Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.),
The sponsor of the bill mandating the disclosure said he was disappointed by the amount of documents made public and asked for a clear timeline for the remaining materials.
He warned that lawmakers could consider impeachment proceedings or criminal referrals against Blanch and Attorney General Pam Bondi if officials engaged in excessive modification or tampering. A department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The bill’s lead GOP sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), said the release: “
The release, according to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), “completely disregards the spirit and letter of the legislation that @realDonaldTrump signed just 30 days ago.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticised the revelations in a statement:
“Releasing only a group of blackened pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” noting that “all 119 pages of one document were completely blackened. We need answers as to why.”
