DOJ releases Epstein files, says review identified over 1,200 victims, families

SPECIAL: Hundreds of thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein files made public on Friday named more than a dozen politically influential figures and government officials, sources said — while Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department found more than 1,200 victims and their families during a comprehensive review and explained the process behind determining which files could be released in a letter to Congress in a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

Sources told Fox News Digital that new photos of Epstein with former President Bill Clinton were also part of the broadcast.

The Department of Justice redacted the names and identities of the victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same editorial standards are applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials.

THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE IS PREPARING TO EVALUATE THE EPSTEIN FILES AS THE DEADLINE APPROACHES

Fox News Digital has exclusively obtained Blanche’s letter to members of the House of Representatives, in which the files are expected to be released Friday under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

“We are writing today to inform you that the Department of Justice has produced hundreds of thousands of pages of sensitive material in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Blanche wrote.

“This unprecedented announcement, led by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, underscores our commitment to following the law, being transparent, and protecting victims,” Blanche continued. Blanche continued, noting that the submission of documents took place within the 30 days required in accordance with the law signed by the president.

“This letter will summarize the Department’s historic efforts and explain specific details regarding the review and production process,” Blanche continued.

“Never in American history has a President or the Department of Justice been more transparent with the American people about such sensitive law enforcement,” he said. “Democratic administrations in the past have refused to provide full details of the Jeffrey Epstein saga. But President Trump, the Attorney General, and FBI Director Patel are committed to providing full transparency in accordance with the law.”

In November, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed, requiring the government to release within 30 days all non-confidential materials in its possession related to the files of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. sex trafficking cases.

President Donald Trump signed the bill into law in November.

The law allows the Justice Department to redact or redact any references to victims and files that could jeopardize ongoing investigations or cases, such as the investigation that Attorney General Pam Bondi recently opened in New York into Epstein’s ties to Democrats. The law says information can also be excluded “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy.”

Meanwhile, in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Blanche revealed that she became aware of more than 1,200 victims through the Justice Department’s expanded internal process.

“This process resulted in the identification of more than 1,200 names as victims or their relatives,” Blanche wrote. “We have corrected references to such names. We have also corrected the names of these victims and are not producing any material that could identify them.”

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in federal custody in 2019. (New York State Sex Offender Registry, File via AP)

Blanche announced that “all non-confidential records, documents, communications, and investigative materials relating to Jeffrey Epstein, including any investigations, prosecutions, or custody matters” would be released.

SCHUMER ACCUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATOR OF ‘COVERING’ THE EPSTEIN FILES AMONG DOCUMENT DISPUTE

Additionally, “flight records or travel records for any aircraft, ship or vehicle owned, operated or used by Ghislaine Maxwell; Jeffrey Epstein or any related entity.”

The Department of Justice is releasing any records or documents relating to “individuals, including government officials, named or implicated in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or investigative proceedings”; as well as “any entity known or alleged to have connections to Epstein’s trafficking or financial networks.”

The documents will also reference “any immunity agreements, non-prosecution agreements, plea bargains or sealed agreements involving Epstein or his associates.”

Blanche said the Justice Department also made public “any and all internal DOJ communications, including emails, memos, meeting minutes, regarding decisions to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrives for a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on August 11, 2025 in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The documents will also include “all communications, notes, directives, logs, or metadata regarding the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, records, or electronic data relating to Epstein, his associates, his custody and death, or any investigative case.”

MASSIE SETS LITTUS TEST FOR EPSTEIN REVEALS AS DOJ DEADLINE SHIFT

Blanche also said that “any documents relating to Epstein’s custody or death, including incident reports, witness interviews, medical examination files, autopsy reports, and written records detailing the circumstances and cause of death” will also be released.

The Justice Department continues to review additional documents and other items for “potential response,” Blanche said.

“Just this week, one of the Department’s components provided additional victim information that required an updated review of the materials, and over the past several weeks, multiple courts have granted the Department’s unsealing requests, which required a detailed review of thousands of pages of investigative and grand jury materials.

Blanche pointed to a decision in the Southern District of New York that required “additional layers of review to minimize the risk of inadvertent production of protected victim information.”

DOJ HAS A FRIDAY DEADLINE TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES AS LAWS WORK FOR TRANSPARENCY

“We expect this ongoing review to be completed within the next few weeks.”

Blanche explained that before the new Epstein law was passed, the Justice Department conducted “a comprehensive review that included digital searches of databases, hard drives, and network drives, as well as searches of real and personal property.”

“This investigation did not reveal credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals, nor did it reveal confidential evidence that would warrant an investigation against unindicted third parties,” Blanche explained, adding that judges in the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York authorized the Justice Department to produce material “previously prohibited from production by protective orders and grand jury secrecy laws.”

U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Blanche explained that the review protocol instructs attorneys to remove or preserve material containing victims’ personally identifiable information; Depicts or contains child sexual abuse material…; would jeopardize an active investigation or prosecution; depicts images of death, physical abuse or injury; and national defense or foreign policy information classified as proprietary.”

“Protecting victims is a top priority for President Trump, the Attorney General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice,” Blanche wrote. “As part of the investigation and production, the Department requested counsel for all victims of Jeffrey Epstein and invited counsel to provide us with the names of the victims, whether or not they were previously identified.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi (L), FBI Director Kash Patel (C), and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino hold a press conference about the January 6 pipe bomber at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on December 4, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“This process resulted in the identification of more than 1,200 names as victims or their relatives,” Blanche wrote. “We have corrected references to such names. We have also corrected the names of these victims and are not producing any material that could identify them.”

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The Justice Department’s review team consists of more than 200 Justice Department attorneys working to determine whether the materials are eligible under the Act and, if so, whether redactions or withholdings are necessary, Blanche said.

According to Blanche, there were multiple layers to the review, including 187 attorneys from the Department of Justice’s Homeland Security Division conducting a review of all items for responsiveness. A quality control team of 25 attorneys then conducted a second-level review to ensure that the victim’s personal information was appropriately redacted and that material that should not have been redacted was not flagged for redaction.

Assistant U.S. attorneys from the Southern District of New York then reviewed the responsive materials to verify appropriate redactions.

“The Department will continue to monitor the Review Protocol and will continue to add materials to the public website that are responsive under the Act, and the Department will notify Congress when a production of this review is completed by the end of this year,” Blanche said.

“The Department’s commitment to transparency, compliance with the law, and protection of all victims under the leadership of President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Patel will never waver.”

Fox News’ Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.