DOJ releases third batch of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein
(NBC, KYMA) - The Justice Department (DOJ) released a third batch of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein Tuesday, including some that have references to President Donald Trump.
The DOJ, which is legally required to release the files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, acknowledged the Trump appearances in a post on social media, and said some include "untrue and sensationalist claims."
In addition, the DOJ said they have "officially released nearly 30,000 more pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already."
The latest release includes around 30,000 pages of documents, with many redactions, and dozens of video clips, including several purporting to be shot inside a federal detention center.
Epstein was found dead in 2019 in a New York jail. His death was ruled a suicide.
In one of those emails, dated January 7, 2020, an unidentified prosecutor in New York wrote that flight records showed trump had flown on Epstein's private jet eight times during the 1990s, which was more than investigators then were aware of.
Among those were "at least four flights" on which Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, was also aboard.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he would be introducing a resolution directing the Senate to initiate "legal action against the DOJ" for only releasing some of its records related to Epstein on Friday and Saturday, "less than 10,000 of the hundreds of thousands" of documents that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had promised Friday, according to an NBC News count.
Congress passed a bill last month, which Trump signed into law on November 19, giving Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to make publicly available in a "searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the department of justice" involving Epstein, including all investigations, prosecutions, or custodial matters."
The law allows for some redactions and exceptions, including to protect victims' identities.
A group of Epstein survivors posted a letter on Instagram Monday, urging lawmakers to intervene.
You can search the released files here.
