Epstein Files Finally Released — But Search Glitches and Redactions Spark Outrage: “This Is a Cover-Up!”

Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, is at the center of a large but partial release of government records. The Department of Justice published a wide set of investigative files on the deadline set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, yet it did not post every document the law requires.

The Justice Department opened a new web page called the “Epstein Library” to host the records. The page includes a search box meant to help reporters and the public find files, but many of the items shown at first were already public and the search tool did not return clear results.

Reporters who tried the search box found it unreliable. Searches for the word “Epstein” returned the notice: “No results found. Please try a different search.” The site also carries a warning that it will be updated if more documents are identified for release.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News on Friday, “I expect that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today,” and officials said staff will continue to add material and clean up the site in the weeks ahead.

The newly posted records relate to federal probes of Epstein that go back many years. The first of those inquiries ended with a 2008 state plea deal in Florida. Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges tied to prostitution of a person under age 18, served time, and avoided harsher federal punishment.

The release follows months of pressure from lawmakers, survivors, and legal advocates. In November, Congress voted to compel the Justice Department to make the files public, and the president signed the bill even as he had urged some lawmakers to oppose it. He had called calls for release a Democratic “hoax.”

Not all lawmakers were satisfied with what appeared online on Friday. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer called the release plan a political act. “This is nothing more than a cover up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past,” he said.

Other critics pressed the department on process and timing. Representative Ro Khanna argued the law left no room for delay and said the department had rebuffed outreach. “the law requires to release all unclassified information by today and to provide in the federal register an explanation of anything they redact.”

Khanna added that officials had not engaged with survivors and their lawyers. “They have had months to prepare this and they have continually rejected our offer to meet with them about this or to meet with survivors’ lawyers about the logistics,” Khanna said.”

At the same time Khanna acknowledged the scale of the task and the need to protect victims. “That said, there are millions of pages of documents they need to go through to protect victim’s identities and redact graphic materials. The fact they are even releasing hundreds of thousands of these is a historic moment for survivors across our nation.”

Survivors and advocates said public access is a step toward accountability, but they urged careful redaction and a clear plan to follow up if the files point to crimes or cover up. The hope is that access will lead to answers rather than more delay.

Social media lit up with blunt reactions. One user wrote, “Trump must be on every single page if they’re still redacting after nearly an entire year.”

Featured image via X screengrab