The delay means the White House is in clear violation of a law signed by President Donald Trump in November.
Epstein documents released: Here’s what you need to know
The Justice Department plans to release grand jury transcripts and internal memos in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Here’s what you need to know:
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday morning that the Justice Department cannot fully meet its Dec. 19 deadline to release all relevant files on Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche told Fox News that the Justice Department expects to release “hundreds of thousands of documents today” and hundreds of thousands more in the coming weeks.
“We expect more documents to be released in the coming weeks, so we expect hundreds of thousands of documents to be released today and hundreds of thousands more in the coming weeks,” Blanche said. “There are a lot of eyes on these and we want to make sure that we are protecting all victims as we create the materials that we are producing.”
The law, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, requires the Justice Department to release a trove of “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein in its possession within 30 days, expiring on December 19th.
Lawmakers are already threatening legal action if the deadline is not met. Despite President Trump’s initial opposition and anti-lobbying efforts, Congress overwhelmingly passed the bill.
California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who led the bill to release the Epstein files, said Justice Department officials who do not comply with the law “will be prosecuted for obstruction of justice.”
He added that if Attorney General Pam Bondi does not comply with the law, “she will be charged with essential contempt of Congress or be subject to impeachment.”
Khanna’s co-sponsor, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, tweeted a copy of the bill stating that “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” must be released within 30 days of passage.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined the chorus of lawmakers already furious at the Justice Department following comments from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was crystal clear: The Trump administration had 30 days to release all, not just part, of the Epstein file,” Democratic leaders said in a statement. “Not to do so is against the law. This only shows that the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hell-bent on hiding the truth.”
The Justice Department’s media office did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for more information about the failure to meet legal deadlines, but told Politico that Branch’s comments speak for themselves.
Blanche said the department has been working hard over the past 30 days to meet the deadline.
“President Trump signed that law 30 days ago,” Branch told Fox News. “And since that day, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that all documents within the Department of Justice are obtained, reviewed, and delivered to the American people.”
The push includes asking judges to release grand jury transcripts, which are normally protected from public disclosure by federal law.
The ministry said it was focused on protecting victims’ information as it prepared to release the documents.
“We look at every piece of paper that we’re going to produce and make sure that every victim, their name, their identity and their story to the extent that they need protection are fully protected,” he said.
Contributors: Erin Mansfield and Zachary Schermele
