Epstein Files Will Be Released This Week-High-Profile Associates Could Be Missing

Topline

The Trump administration faces a Friday deadline to release its full files on Jeffrey Epstein after years of speculation over what the documents contain, teeing up numerous potential revelations about the financier and his alleged abuse—but it remains to be seen if the government could keep some details about Epstein’s high-profile friends under wraps for now.

The Trump administration must release the Epstein documents by Friday, after Congress passed a law requiring the files to be released within 30 days.

It’s unclear when exactly the files will come out, and if they could come out all at once or in batches.

The law requires the government to release all its files regarding investigations into Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs related to Epstein, documentation related to his 2019 death and names of any individuals or corporate entities tied to his criminal activities.

There are only a few carveouts for information the government doesn’t have to release, such as information that would identify victims, depicts death or child abuse, is classified, or, most notably, information that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”

Critics have speculated the Trump administration could use the ongoing investigation exemption to withhold files, after the DOJ opened a new investigation into Epstein’s association with high-profile Democrats including former President Bill Clinton, Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman and economist Larry Summers, as well as JP Morgan Chase.

Since the investigation focuses on Epstein’s ties to various “people and institutions,” the government could use the probe as a pretext to keep information about the financier’s high-profile friends hidden—though the federal law says any exceptions under the investigations carveout must be “narrowly tailored and temporary.”