The White House has finally spoken following the release of a partial batch of Epstein documents by the Department of Justice on Friday, after they missed the deadline to release all the files.
Donald Trump had previously endorsed a Congressional bill mandating the release of all Epstein files on Thursday, November 20th, which initiated a 30-day timeline for the US justice department to comply.
“I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump announced in a Truth Social post, having previously dismissed the situation as a Democratic hoax.
By Friday, December 19th, the date set for the full release, the Department of Justice acknowledged its inability to fulfill the request entirely, disclosing only about 300,000 documents from the total.
The released documents include numerous images, files, and investigation records, many of which are heavily redacted to protect the ongoing investigation or to maintain the anonymity of Epstein’s victims.
Despite this, the White House stood by the DOJ, releasing a statement shortly after the documents went public at approximately 4 pm EST.
The statement praised the Trump administration as ‘the most transparent in history’ and supported the president’s desire for further investigation into Epstein’s connections with Democrats.
“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,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated.
While some approve of the substantial document release, numerous critics of Trump are dissatisfied with the DOJ’s incomplete disclosure.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer criticized the justice department for ‘releasing just a fraction of the whole body of evidence’ on Epstein, contrary to the legal requirement.
“Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” Schumer declared.
“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 Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth.”
The Congressional mandate required the full public release of the Epstein files to ensure transparency in the investigation into the activities of the deceased sex offender.
It did, however, permit redactions for ongoing investigations and to protect victim anonymity.
The extent of redactions in Friday’s release seems excessive, with one 119-page document completely blacked out, lacking any explanation.
In response, Democrats are challenging the release, with Schumer vowing to persist until the complete truth is revealed.