Epstein files live updates: Democrats accuse Trump admin of ‘cover up’ and violating law after DOJ limits release

President Donald Trump refused to answer any questions about the forthcoming Epstein files after ending a press conference Friday afternoon

Department of Justice officials confirmed they would release “several hundred thousand” pages of documents in the Epstein files, but it is unclear when or how they will be released.

The department has not issued guidance regarding how the public can find the Epstein files online – the Epstein Files Transparency Act does require the documents to be “searchable.”

Reports claimed the department was set to release the files at 3 p.m. ET, but there was no sight of them immediately.

Justice Department staff who are tasked with redacting information in the Epstein files are reportedly growing frustrated with a lack of direction under the tight deadline, sources told CNN.

A significant number of redactions are necessary to protect the identity of survivors, national security interests and ongoing litigation.

Each attorney is spending time making time-consuming redactions among thousands of pages.

But lawyers are reportedly unsure if they have the proper understanding of how to make the most information available while conducting redactions, sources told CNN.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s office speculated Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel are “hiding” something, after the Justice Department said it would not release them all Friday.

“WHAT ARE TRUMP, BONDI, AND KASH HIDING!!” Newsom’s office wrote.

“RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES”

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice Public Affairs rejected claims that the department was not meeting the congressionally imposed deadline to release the Epstein files, claiming it is being done while protecting victims.

“The DOJ is releasing a massive tranche of new documents that the Biden and Obama administrations refused to release,” it added.

“The story here: the Trump administration is providing levels of transparency that prior administrations never even contemplated. The initial deadline is being met as we work diligently to protect victims,” the spokesperson added.

Epstein was federally indicted in 2019 while Trump was president.

The government investigated Epstein in 2006, but prosecutors handed Epstein a sweetheart deal. Obama became president in 2008, but Epstein was facing several civil lawsuits at the time.

Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, also faced a federal trial in 2021 for child sex trafficking – meaning much of the documents likely could not be released until her trial and the appeals process were over.

Republicans on the GOP-led House Oversight Committee blasted their Democratic colleagues Friday ahead of the DOJ’s release of investigative materials in its possession.

Republicans accused Democrats of repeatedly “cherry-picking” edited photos from Epstein’s estate “to try to score political points and create a hoax against President Trump.”

“They chase headlines at the expense of victims. They can NEVER be trusted to run serious investigations,” the group wrote.

In another post, the committee accused top Democrat Robert Garcia of failing to acknowledge that there is “NO evidence” against Trump.

“The smokescreen has been lifted, no one believes your lies,” they wrote.

Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing, but Democratic lawmakers have demanded a full public accounting to determine his connections to Epstein and an alleged wider network of powerful pedophiles.

Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal court in New York this week to set aside her sex trafficking conviction.

Maxwell — who filed the petition from prison while she serves a 20-year sentence for her role in a decade-long scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls with Epstein — claims “substantial new evidence has emerged” that shows she did not receive a fair trial.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act does allow the DOJ to withhold documents that could jeopardize an active federal investigation.

A federal judge has already ordered that grand jury materials in her case be unsealed, but if the judge considers her motion, Maxwell’s long-shot request could complicate the release of those documents.

Thousands of documents in Epstein’s cases, and the probe against his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, have already been made public by government officials, law enforcement and federal courts.

The Department of Justice is expected to release “hundreds of thousands” more Friday. A person’s inclusion in documents or photographs does not indicate wrongdoing.

Here is what we know so far.

Rep. Thomas Massie, among House Republicans who have pushed for the release of the Epstein files, posted a copy of the law compelling their release — and highlighted text saying that “all” materials must be released within 30 days of its passage.

“Release the files,” he wrote Friday morning.