UPDATE - US Justice Department to miss deadline for full release of Epstein documents

ADDS MASSIE, RASKIN AND GARCIA STATEMENTS IN GRAFS 8-11

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday that the US Justice Department will release "several hundred thousand" government records related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, but will miss a deadline for the publication of all related files.

The partial release falls short of a law passed by Congress that mandates a full release within 30 days of President Donald Trump signing the legislation into law. Trump did so on Nov. 19.

Blanche said that after Friday's initial release of documents, including photos and "other materials" related to the Epstein investigation, the Justice Department would "release more documents over the next couple of weeks."

"So today, several hundred thousand, and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more. There's a lot of eyes looking at these, and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we're producing, that we're protecting every single victim," Blanche said on Fox News.

The bill forcing the Justice Department action, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, took months to win approval in the House after it was introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna in July.

Trump had long resisted its passage, but relented after it became clear that it would pass the Republican-held Congress. It cleared the House and Senate with near unanimous support.

Shortly after Blanche's interview, Massie appeared to emphasize the firm deadline established by his legislation, posting a screenshot of its text on US social media platform X and highlighting wording emphasizing that the 30-day deadline is for "all" document in the Justice Department's possession.

"Time’s up. Release the files," Massie said in a subsequent post.

The top Democrats on the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees said Trump and his Justice Department "are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein's decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring."

"For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee's subpoena. The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein's convicted co-
conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell," Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin said in a joint statement.

"We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law. The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ," they added.