DOJ releases 3 million Epstein documents after deleting Trump photo

Deputy AG Todd Blanche announced the release of 3 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images on Jan. 30, 2026. A team of 500 DOJ attorneys reviewed over 6 million total documents.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed the House 427-1 on Nov. 18, 2025, the Senate by unanimous consent on Nov. 19, and was signed by Trump the same day. It gave the DOJ 30 days to release all unclassified Epstein files.

The legal deadline was Dec. 19, 2025. The DOJ missed it by 42 days. In the first month after the deadline, the DOJ released less than 1% of files—only 12,285 documents out of over 2 million.

At least 16 files disappeared from the DOJ website within 24 hours of posting in late Dec., including a photo from Epstein's estate showing Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump, and Ghislaine Maxwell inside a drawer.

The DOJ said it removed the Trump photo to review whether Epstein victims appeared in it. After backlash and Democratic criticism, the DOJ restored the photo stating 'there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted.'

Internet users discovered faulty redactions: by copying blacked-out text from PDFs and pasting into other documents, they could read the hidden content. Adjusting image exposure on screenshots also revealed text beneath redaction bars.

Over 550 pages in the initial release were entirely blacked out, including a 119-page 'Grand Jury-NY' document and three consecutive documents totaling 255 pages.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who co-sponsored the Transparency Act, said 'DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.' The law contains no enforcement mechanism or penalties.