Epstein files chaos as DOJ admits weeks-long delay

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox and Friends that ‘several hundred thousand’ documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files will be released today, and even more will be unsealed in the coming weeks.

‘We’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today, and those documents will come in all different forms, photographs, and other materials associated with all of the investigations into Mr. Epstein,’ Blanche said.

‘Now, the most important thing that the attorney general has talked about, that director Patel has talked about, is that we protect victims. And so 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 these are protected – is completely protected.’

He added, ‘I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks. So today, several hundred thousand. And then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.’

Bill Gates has been dragged back into the scandal surrounding sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein following the latest tranche of evidence from the pedophile’s estate.

The Microsoft founder was again featured in images released from Epstein’s estate this week, part of an ongoing disclosure from House Democrats offering a new glimpse into Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful.

In undated images from the latest tranche, Gates is seen with two women whose faces were blurred.

An additional picture reveals that Epstein kept a framed photo of Gates on the wall at his mansion on his private island.

Here is a closer look at all the individuals linked to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal who have died by suicide.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988

Students Rosie P. Couture and Lola DeAscentiis are under scrutiny after two videos were posted to TikTok in November relating to Larry Summers, 70, telling a class about his ‘regret’ and ‘shame’ over seedy emails he sent to the disgraced pedophile.

The former US Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton reiterated his pledge to ‘step back from public activity’ in the clip, but said he would still fulfill his teaching obligations ‘for a time.’

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that President Trump has always wanted ‘full transparency’ with the release of the Epstein documents, but that their focus has been on protecting victims.

‘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 claimed.

‘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.

Representative Ro Khanna, one of the sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, called on the Justice Department to provide a timeline of the document release.

‘The law requires “all unclassified records” to be released in a “searchable and downloadable format” by today. If DOJ is producing real documents of interest that are not overly redacted, and if they are clear about a timeline for full production then that is a positive step. They ultimately must release all of it,’ Khanna said in a statement to CBS News.

‘They have had months to prepare for this, and they have continually rejected our offer to meet with them about this or to meet with survivor’s lawyers about the logistics.’

He added, ‘In addition to today’s document release, the DOJ must today offer a clear timeline for the full release. The key is they release the names of all the powerful men in question who abused underage girls or covered it up. They must provide a clear framework to the survivors and the nation by when we will have everything public.’

Representative Thomas Massive, one of the lead sponsors of the bill to release the Epstein files, published a video on Thursday telling people what to expect from today’s release.

‘The victim’s lawyers have been in contact with me, and collectively they know there are at least 20 names of men who are accused of sex crimes in the possession of the FBI. These would reside in the FD 302 forms,’ Massie said.

‘If we get a large production on December 19, and it does not contain a single name of any male who is accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape, or any of these things, then we know they haven’t produced all the documents. It’s that simple.’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the Justice Department for not planning to release all of the Epstein files today.

‘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,’ Schumer said in a statement to NBC.

‘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 long awaited Jeffrey Epstein files are expected to be released at 3:00 PM today.

A source familiar with the plans told News Nation about the timeline as the Justice Department scrambles to meet the deadline set when Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, 2025.

The tranche will include hundreds of thousands of documents, images, emails and texts, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

But hundreds of thousands more will be released in coming weeks, he said in admitting the DOJ will miss the deadline to fully declassify the files.

The law to release the Epstein files allowed the Justice Department to withhold personal information about the victims as well as any material that would jeopardize an active investigation.

Attorneys in the DOJ’s National Security Division were ordered to review the materials and redact them in preparation for their release, two sources told Reuters.

They have been working on the task since after Thanksgiving holiday and were ordered to prioritize it over other casework.

However, due to the quick turnaround time, some are nervous about potential mistakes and the risk that some identifiable information could remain, the sources said.

Jeffrey Epstein rubbed shoulders with the world’s richest men at a so-called billionaires’ dinner three years after he was convicted of sex crimes.

House Democrats released 68 photographs from Epstein’s estate on Thursday, including images taken at the Edge Group’s annual dinner in 2011.

The event, hosted by literary agent John Brockman’s nonprofit, was attended by some of the tech industry’s most powerful people, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Donald Trump is set to make an announcement at 1pm ET today.

‘Trump will be announcing more incredible deals that will lower prices of drugs and pharmaceuticals,’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.

The president has already announced deals with several drug makers, including AtraZeneca and Pfizer, to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid.