Editor’s Note: Names appearing in the Epstein files are not an indication of criminal activity or guilt.
(NewsNation) — The Senate and House of Representatives have passed a bill that requires the Department of Justice to release thousands of documents regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The effort was initially met with opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership, though the president eventually reversed course and said this week lawmakers should support the bill.
Trump signed off on the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Wednesday evening. The DOJ now will be compelled to publish “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices,” according to the legislation.
What could be in the Epstein files?
According to the legislation, the information contained in the files may relate to:
- Jeffrey Epstein, including investigations, prosecutions or custodial matters.
- Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, longtime associate and convicted sex-trafficking accomplice.
- Flight logs and travel records.
- People, including government officials, who have been named or referenced in connection with Epstein.
- Entities that are known to have connections or are alleged to be connected to Epstein’s trafficking or financial networks.
- Any agreements or settlements granting immunity or limiting prosecution for Epstein or his associates.
- Internal DOJ communications concerning decisions made on whether to charge, not charge, investigate or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates.
- Communications concerning the destruction, alteration or concealment of information related to Epstein, his associates his detention and death or investigative files.
- Documentation of Epstein’s detention and death.
What could be redacted from the Epstein files?
The bill stipulates that the DOJ can withhold specific information, including portions of the files that:
- Contain victims’ personally identifiable information or their personal and medical files that would constitute an invasion of privacy.
- Depict or contain child sexual abuse materials.
- Could jeopardize a current federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.
- Depict or contain images of death, physical abuse or injury.
- Contain information authorized to be kept secret in the interest of national defense.
All redactions must include a written justification published in the federal registrar and sent to Congress, according to the legislation.
What is the expected timeline for the Epstein files?
The release could be delayed if the Department of Justice determines that information in the files could jeopardize an ongoing prosecution or federal investigations. However, the bill states all files must be released within 30 days of its signing.
Within 15 days of the files being released, the attorney general must submit all categories of records released and withheld, a summary of redactions made, including legal basis, and a list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials — with no redactions permitted.