Where things stand
• The Justice Department is releasing more than 3 million pages of files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein today, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche saying the department has now completed its review of the Epstein files.
• Blanche said the White House had “no oversight” of the review of documents and firmly stated that “we did not protect President Trump.” He said any member of Congress can view unredacted versions at the Department of Justice.
• CNN reporters are going through the documents now, and we will share information here as we learn more.
Epstein pleaded the Fifth in 2016 deposition for every question related to Bill Clinton
After Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre filed a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015, Jeffrey Epstein sat for a deposition in the case, which was first unsealed in 2024.
In the deposition from September 2016, Epstein repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to self-incriminate when asked more than a dozen questions about his relationship with former President Bill Clinton or the Clinton Foundation.
Some examples of the questions asked to Epstein were to “Please describe all dinners you’ve ever had with Bill Clinton” and “Please list every place you and Bill Clinton have ever been together.”
Lawyers also asked Epstein repeatedly about whether Clinton visited his private island and flew on his private plane. They also repeatedly asked Epstein whether he’s heard of the Clinton Foundation and for all his interactions with it.
For every question, Epstein responded: “Fifth.”
A spokesperson for Clinton has repeatedly said the former president cut ties with Epstein before he was charged with soliciting prostitution in 2006 and didn’t know about his crimes.
Recently, the Clintons rebuffed a subpoena from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee to have them testify in a congressional probe related to Epstein. The House voted to hold the Clintons in contempt earlier this month.
Deputy AG says DOJ "did not protect President Trump" in Epstein files
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday the White House had “no oversight” of the review of documents related to the Epstein investigation.
“Let me just be clear — they had nothing to do with this review,” Blanche said. “They had no oversight over this review. They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what to not redact.”
Critics have repeatedly accused the Justice Department of withholding documents that referenced President Donald Trump and of attempting to divert attention away by implying democratic officials were involved in Epstein’s alleged abuse.
Blanche repeatedly denied the assertion, firmly stating that “we did not protect President Trump.”
“There’s this mantra out there that the Department of Justice is supposed to protect Donald J. Trump,” he said. “That’s not true. That was never the case. We are always concerned about the victims.”
The deputy attorney general conceded, however, that “There’s a hunger or a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
Release includes Maxwell arrest photos and financial documents
The latest tranche of Epstein documents released by the Department of Justice on Friday include fresh information about his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, including booking photos with weight and height details, as well as pictures of her New Hampshire home from search warrant requests.
The newly released documents also contain dozens of Maxwell’s financial records.
There are documents from Maxwell-linked accounts at UBS, including one that described her investments and showed a balance of $773,775 in March 2019.
There is also a letter describing a $1 million wire transfer in 2016, as well as IRS documents about her tax returns.
CNN correspondent asks Blanche about any ongoing investigations in Epstein case
CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid, who attended the Department of Justice’s news conference announcing the release of additional documents in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, asked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche whether additional open investigations were ongoing.
Blanche said that some documents would be withheld due to “ongoing investigations.”
Here’s what he said:
Epstein survivors eager to see “302” forms with witness interviews
Among the millions of pages of documents, images and videos related to Jeffrey Epstein that the Justice Department released on Friday appear to be numerous “302” forms — written documentation of interviews that the government has conducted.
This is potentially significant because these 302 forms could be related to past interviews that federal agents conducted with alleged Epstein victims. Some survivors have told CNN that they have been desperately in search of information that they previously reported to the FBI about Epstein’s alleged crimes and misconduct, wondering whether what they reported to law enforcement was ever acted upon.
It’s clear scrolling through some of the 302 forms, however, that they contain heavy redactions. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear that the department sought to redact any personal identifying information about victims, among other things.
Members of Congress can contact DOJ to see unredacted versions of Epstein documents, Blanche says
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said members of Congress can view unredacted versions of the Jeffrey Epstein files at the Department of Justice.
The DOJ is allowed to make certain redactions, including personally identifying information of victims, child sexual abuse materials, or information that would jeopardize an active federal investigation.
But lawmakers have criticized the DOJ’s redactions so far, and Blanche’s comments today provide members with a new opportunity to view the materials in full.
New Epstein files have age verification page and contain pornography
The new tranches of Epstein files the Justice Department released Friday begins with a new page asking whether users are 18 years of age or older.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, announcing the release, said that the 2,000 videos and 180,000 images released are not all from Epstein or those close to him, noting that they may be explicit in nature.
“They include large quantities of commercial pornography and images that were seized from Epstein’s devices, but which he did not take, or that someone around him did not take,” Blanche said.
Certain documents are expected to be withheld, according to the DOJ
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed which files were withheld as new documents have been released from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein today.
“The categories of documents withheld include those permitted under the act to be withheld,” Blanche said.
Here’s what he said is not in the release:
- Files that contain personally identifiable information of victims
- Victims’ personal and medical files, and any similar files that, if disclosed, would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy
- Any depiction of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) or child pornography
- Anything that would jeopardize an active federal investigation
- Anything that depicts or contains images of death, physical abuse or injury
- Files covered by various privileges, including deliberative process privilege, work product privilege, and attorney client privilege
“Although the act allows for withholding for items necessary to keep secret in the interest of national security or foreign policy, no files are being withheld or redacted on that basis,” Blanche added.
Justice Department is releasing remaining Epstein documents
The Justice Department has completed its review of records related to Jeffrey Epstein and will release the documents throughout the day Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced.
“Today, we are producing more than 3 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images in total, that means that the department produced approximately three and a half million pages in compliance with the act,” Blanche said at a press conference at 11 a.m. ET.
The release will end the months of tension between the Justice Department, federal judges, and some lawmakers over if, and how, to release more than one million documents from the investigation into to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
But it’s not clear whether the release of documents will conclude the year-long public outcry from critics who say the department, and Pam Bondi herself, did not follow through on their promise for transparency into what investigators had uncovered in their probe into Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking.
The Justice Department has been plagued by the Epstein case since last February when Bondi said that the long-rumored “client list” was sitting on her desk for review. The DOJ later said that Bondi misspoke and was referring generally to documents from his case.
A few months later, however, the Justice Department and FBI released a memo that affirmed Epstein died by suicide, said there was no evidence of a client list, and reneged on Bondi’s promises to release investigative files. The memo sparked bipartisan outrage and eventually resulted a new transparency law passed by Congress.
Before today's drop, the DOJ said it had released less than 1% of its Epstein files
The Justice Department just released more files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
CNN reporters are going through them now, and as we wait to learn more details about the contents of today’s release, here’s a quick recap of where things stand:
How we got here: Congress passed a law in November — with near-unanimous support — giving the Justice Department a December 19, 2025, deadline to release all of its files. Epstein, the convicted sex offender who was accused of abusing dozens of underage girls, died by suicide in 2019.
Few files released so far: The Justice Department earlier this month said it had released 12,285 documents — less than 1% — of its Epstein-related files, with more than 2 million documents still in review. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS between January 9-12 found that few Americans are satisfied with the amount of evidence released in the Epstein case, with most saying they believe the government is intentionally holding back information.
About the files: The files are made up of papers, videos, photographs and audio files that live within the FBI’s main electronic case management system and largely originate from the FBI’s two major investigations into Epstein, in Florida and New York, spanning decades. A July 2025 FBI memo said that the department had uncovered “more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence” during a review of the investigative materials.
Deputy attorney general is holding a news conference
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is holding a news conference now at the Department of Justice.
The news conference comes as the department releases more files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
JUST IN: More Epstein files have been released
The Justice Department released another tranche of files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein today.
CNN reporters are going through the documents now, and we will share information as we learn more.
