Justice Department releases files tied to Jeffrey Epstein case
Update (3:26 PM): Find the files and read through them for yourself here.
Today’s document dump includes some new, some previously seen materials
From CNN's Marshall Cohen
The Justice Department’s massive trove of “Epstein files” includes thousands of apparently never-before-released documents along with thousands of files that were already public from various court cases and public records requests.
A new page on the Justice Department’s website, called the “Epstein Library,” spells out the four broad categories of documents disseminated on Friday.
Some of the files are new. Other files are clearly old. But for the first time, a sizable chunk of the massive universe of Epstein-related materials were all put together in one place.
- DOJ disclosures. This includes the bulk of the never-before-released materials. There are thousands of files that the Justice Department says were made public specifically because of the new law passed by Congress last month. This tranche also includes old materials that the Trump-era DOJ released about Epstein’s death in prison.
- Court Records. This includes materials from dozens of civil lawsuits and legal cases, such as the criminal trial of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and various lawsuits against Epstein’s estate. It’s likely that the vast majority of these files were already public. Many of these materials contain markings indicating that they were previously posted to public dockets in the federal court system.
- Public records requests. This includes materials that were previously released, some years ago, through Freedom of Information Act requests. Among them are documents from the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and materials from the state-level investigation of Epstein conducted nearly 20 years ago by Florida authorities.
- Congressional releases. This includes a link to the massive trove of documents that the House Oversight Committee released last month. The committee got these materials from Epstein’s estate. The FBI previously said that it had never seen some of those materials from the estate before Congress made them public.
'Epstein files’ include new photos of Bill Clinton
From CNN's Marshall Cohen
Of the thousands of documents released as part of the “Epstein Files,” several are never-before-released photographs of former President Bill Clinton with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
One image shows a shirtless Clinton in a jacuzzi next to another person whose face is redacted. There are additional photos of Clinton swimming in an adjacent pool with Maxwell. These pictures show another woman swimming with Clinton and Maxwell, but her face is redacted.
Another one of the new images shows Clinton holding a drink and standing next to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
It’s unclear where or when these photographs were taken. CNN has reached out to a spokesperson for Clinton regarding the new images.
Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly said he cut ties with Epstein before his arrest on federal charges in 2019 and didn’t know about his crimes.
“President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York,” Clinton’s spokesman, Angel Ureña, said in a 2019 statement posted to Twitter.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated Friday’s disclosures, required the Justice Department to redact personally identifying information about Epstein’s victims. It’s unclear if the people near Clinton in these new images are victims of Epstein’s abuse.
White House touts administration’s transparency with Epstein releases
From CNN's Kit Maher
The White House on Friday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
The White House is framing the Justice Department’s release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein as evidence of the administration’s transparency, while criticizing Democrats.
“The Trump Administration is the most transparent in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
“And while President Trump is delivering on his promises, Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Stacey Plaskett have yet to explain why they were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein after he was a convicted sex offender. The American people deserve answers,” Jackson added.
Plaskett exchanged texts with Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing. A Democratic consulting group asked Epstein if he wanted to participate in a fundraising dinner with Jeffries in March 2013; Jeffries has said he has no recollection of the message.
Trump, who’s been dogged by his administration’s handling of the files, ultimately backed the release of the files last month after members of his own party helped force a vote in the House to compel their release.
DOJ's website with Epstein files not searchable, despite law requiring it to be
From CNN's Michael Williams
The Epstein Library on the US Department of Justice website, pictured on Friday, December 19. Department of Justice
The website that the Department of Justice used to publish the files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation today was not immediately searchable — despite a search function being required in the law that mandated the documents’ release.
The Justice Department published thousands of files split between four data sets. The website includes a search bar but words inputted into it yield no results — including for basic queries like “Epstein” or “Maxwell.” A disclaimer on the site notes that “portions” of the documents may not be searchable “Due to technical limitations and the format of certain materials.”
The bipartisan bill that President Donald Trump signed last month, which mandated the release of the Epstein files, also required the database to be available in a searchable format.
Why reading through these records is going to take some time
From CNN's Elise Hammond
An unsealed indictment of Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this handout page released by the US Justice Department, then printed and arranged for a photograph by Reuters in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 19. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Sorting through the documents released by the Justice Department related to its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein is going to be a long process, CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz said this afternoon.
CNN teams are reading through the files right now and we will bring you key findings when we have them, but this effort is going to take some time.
This is for two main reasons, Polantz said.
First, the sheer volume of materials. The DOJ posted large data sets including documents, photos and audio on its website this afternoon.
Second, it’s important to understand the context, “to figure out not just what it is, but why it is there,” she said.
For example, “why did Jeffrey Epstein have photos of these people and what was happening in the room when these photos were taken? Where were they taken even?”
Many of those things are not labeled, Polantz said. “Some of these images have clearly very sensitive information in them. People’s heads are blacked out in a lot of them, especially women,” she said.
What types of documents could be part of the DOJ's investigations
From CNN's Elise Hammond
The newly released materials from the Justice Department could provide an “unprecedented look” at the behind-the-scenes workings of the agency’s investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said this afternoon.
Honig, a former assistant US attorney, said these are some of the documents that are typically part of DOJ investigations and could be part of the released records:
- Summaries of witness statements
- Phone records
- Financial records
- Travel records
- Internal memos about the strength of evidence
The Justice Department released large data sets, which CNN reporters are working on reading right now.
“This law is really quite broad in what it requires DOJ to turn over, so we should get an unprecedented look behind the door at DOJ,” Honig said.
How a small group of Republicans forced Trump’s DOJ to release its Epstein files
From CNN's Annie Grayer
Rep. Thomas Massie speaks during a news conference with Epstein abuse survivors and other lawmakers outside the Capitol on November 18. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The congressional push forcing the Department of Justice to publicly release all of its investigative files into Jeffrey Epstein was the result of months of nasty infighting and a pressure campaign within the GOP.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a known party agitator, paired with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to craft a bill that would compel DOJ to release all of its Epstein files. For months, Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership tried to quash the effort, and President Donald Trump repeatedly called the issue a “Democratic hoax.”
Massie was joined by three GOP women who delivered the votes necessary to circumvent House GOP leadership and bring the bill to the floor. The pressure campaign against the GOP lawmakers to take their names off of the effort was persistent and widespread.
Trump called GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a “traitor” for supporting the release of the Epstein files and called for her to be ousted in a primary race, which ultimately led to their public breakup and Greene’s decision to retire early from Congress. GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert met with top Trump administration officials about the push to release all of the DOJ files just days before its final passage.
When the lawmakers didn’t cave and the effort couldn’t be stopped, Trump, Johnson and the majority of Republicans got on board to overwhelmingly pass the bill that has led to the release of the Epstein files today.
Schumer claims if the DOJ only releases partial Epstein files, that would violate law
From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Ted Barrett
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol on December 11. Heather Diehl/Getty Images/File
As we begin to the review the Justice Department documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, we’ll be watching for Democratic reaction to the Trump administration’s handling of today’s release.
Earlier, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement slamming Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for saying the department will release some of the files at a later date, despite today’s deadline.
Blanche said in an interview on Fox this morning that “several hundred thousand” documents in their possession will be released today, with more to come in the weeks ahead.
President Donald Trump signed into law legislation passed by Congress in November that mandates the release of all non-exempt information from the files by December 19.
“The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be — the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and (Attorney General) Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth,” Schumer said.
“Senate Democrats are working closely with attorneys for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and with outside legal experts to assess what documents are being withheld and what is being covered up by Pam Bondi. We will not stop until the whole truth comes out,” he continued.
Updated 4:17 PM EST, Fri December 19, 2025
What we know so far
• The Justice Department has just released records from the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. CNN reporters are currently reading through the documents, which can be found on the department’s website, and we’ll report what we know as it’s revealed.
• Earlier today, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ would release “several hundred thousand documents” related to the convicted sex offender, with more to come in the weeks ahead.
• The release comes after President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill in November to force the release of the DOJ files.
• Separately, the House Oversight Committee on November 12 released 20,000 pages of records it received from Epstein’s estate through a subpoena, including multiple emails in which he mentioned Trump. The president has not been accused of wrongdoing in the Epstein case, and he has denied involvement.
Tranche of released records is "extensive" and includes large files
From CNN's Elise Hammond
The Justice Department has just released records from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Some of the material was already made public, but other documents are “very likely to have never seen the light of day before,” CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz said.
Polantz scrolled through the DOJ website where the files were uploaded:
“I’m looking at it now and it’s really extensive.”
The released materials included multiple pages and large data sets of information, she said.
CNN reporters are working on reading through the records right now. We’ll bring you key findings as we have them.
Blanche said Justice Department will "release several hundred thousand documents today," with more to come
From CNN's Kaanita Iyer and Holmes Lybrand
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attends a news conference at the Justice Department on November 19. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department will “release several hundred thousand documents today” related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A DOJ website hosting the documents has begun to make material available, and CNN is reviewing them now.
Blanche said earlier that the department will continue to release files in the coming weeks.
“I expect that that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today and, and those documents will come in, in all different forms — photographs and, and other materials associated with, with all of the investigations into, into Mr. Epstein,” Blanche told Fox News. He added: “Today, several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”
The deputy attorney general said the department has been focused on protecting victims.
“What we’re doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent it needs to be protected is completely protected,” Blanche said.
Blanche went on to give credit to President Donald Trump, who resisted mounting pressure for months to release the documents before ultimately signing a bipartisan bill that gave the administration 30 days to do so.
“Just so everybody appreciates, President Trump has said for years that he wants full transparency and he wants the Department of Justice to release everything that we can with respect to this investigation and cases,” Blanche said.
“President Trump signed that law 30 days ago, and we have been working tirelessly since that day to make sure that, that we get every single document that we have within the Department of Justice, review it and get it to the American public,” he added.
Some Epstein files were also released in September. Here's what was in them
From CNN's Elise Hammond
This image shared by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee shows the birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Donald Trump's name. Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter. Oversight Dems/X
In September, the House Oversight Committee put out a tranche of records, including a collection of letters that included a note bearing President Donald Trump’s name that was part of a collection of letters gifted to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.
The committee had previously released Epstein files turned over to the panel by the Justice Department. Democrats on the committee criticized the release, however, saying that it contained little new information.
Here’s what else was in the documents released in September:
- The “birthday book” was a 238-page collection of photos, yearbook pages, song sheets, and other mementos compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, including a note bearing Trump’s name. The president has repeatedly denied writing the letter.
- In the book, a partially redacted photo shows Epstein standing next to several other people holding an oversized check written to appear that it had been made out from Trump to Epstein for $22,500. The committee did not identify the other people in the photo. Below the photo, a hand-written caption states, “Jeffrey showing early talents with money and women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”
- The records also included Epstein’s last will and testament, entries from his address book, and the 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Read the law requiring the DOJ to release Epstein files
From CNN staff
The Justice Department just released some of the documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
