Victims' advocates have voiced fury and frustration after the US Department of Justice blatantly missed a congressionally mandated deadline to release the full trove of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Legal Deadline Ignored, Millions of Pages Withheld
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, the Justice Department was legally required to publish all investigative files by 19 December 2025. This date was set just 30 days after the act's passage. However, one month past that deadline, the department has failed to comply, with officials admitting that millions of documents remain unreleased.
While the department uploaded approximately 125,575 pages (12,285 documents) to its website by early January, a court filing revealed it had identified over 2 million additional documents that were still under review. This represents a tiny fraction of the total material.
Victims' Advocates Condemn "Cover-Up" and Demand Accountability
Prominent lawyers representing dozens of Epstein's survivors have condemned the delay as a continuation of a decades-long denial of justice. Lisa Bloom, who has represented 11 survivors, stated, "It has never been about the victims. It's about powerful men covering up for each other, and that cover-up continues."
Gloria Allred, an attorney for more than 20 survivors, emphasised the clear violation of law. "The Epstein Files Transparency Act could not have been clearer," she said. "It is clear that the [Justice Department] has violated the act." Allred echoed the legal maxim, "Justice delayed is justice denied," pointing to three decades of obstruction for survivors.
Jennifer Plotkin of Merson Law, representing nearly three dozen survivors, accused the government of avoiding accountability. "It's shocking that the government defends their inactions and relations with Epstein yet somehow claim to be transparent," she said.
Bipartisan Pressure and Calls for a Special Master
The act itself was the result of sustained bipartisan pressure. Co-sponsored by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, it was passed after months of controversy over the Trump administration's handling of the files.
President Trump, who had vowed on the campaign trail to release the files, ultimately signed the act. He claimed, "We have nothing to hide," framing the issue as a "Democrat Hoax." Notably, the promise of transparency was particularly significant to far-right factions of his base, who believe Epstein's crimes were enabled by connections to powerful figures like Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
With the Justice Department now in breach of the law, demands are growing for the appointment of a special master or inspector general to oversee compliance. Jennifer Freeman of Marsh Law, representing victim Maria Farmer, called the failure "a direct, flat violation" and "a breach of the public trust." She argued an independent overseer is needed to audit the process for timeliness, redactions, and completeness.
As a judge begins to seek explanations from the Justice Department, advocates warn the fight is far from over. For the survivors, the struggle for full transparency and ultimate accountability continues into 2026 with no clear end in sight.
