The long-anticipated release of Jeffrey Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice has ignited a fresh wave of controversy in Washington, as lawmakers, survivors’ families, and the public grapple with what—if anything—has truly been revealed. The saga, which unfolded over August 22 and 23, 2025, saw the DOJ hand over more than 33,000 pages of documents to the House Oversight Committee, as well as transcripts from a recent interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate and convicted accomplice.
But for many, the headline numbers mask a more frustrating reality. According to Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, a staggering 97 percent of the released files were already public knowledge. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the Committee’s ranking Democrat, told Forbes that the “overwhelming majority” of the documents had been previously released by the DOJ, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, or the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. “Much of the material was already public,” Garcia posted on X, “but a full review is necessary.”
Among the documents were the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General Report on Epstein’s death, a memo from then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to FBI Director Kash Patel, and video footage from Epstein’s jail cell on the night of his death. The only genuinely new material, Garcia’s office said, was less than 1,000 pages of Customs and Border Protection records tracking Epstein’s private jet locations from 2000 to 2014.
The release came after the Trump administration’s own review of Epstein-related documents, with most files previously available through court filings or media leaks. Lawmakers had subpoenaed the files earlier in August, but efforts to unseal grand jury documents were rebuffed by a New York judge, who concluded there were no “special circumstances” to warrant the release of those sensitive transcripts.
President Donald Trump, facing pressure from both sides of the aisle, told reporters on August 22 that he supported releasing all Epstein files, but with a caveat: “Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn’t care less.” He added, “You’ve got a lot of people that could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be, you know, people, because he knew everybody in Palm Beach.” Trump’s name reportedly appears in the files, though there is no implication of wrongdoing.
Yet, the limited nature of the document dump has drawn sharp criticism. Rep. Summer L. Lee, a Pennsylvania Democrat, called the release “a continuation of the cover-up from Donald Trump and his administration to protect the powerful and wealthy, even when they are predators and abusers.” Rep. Ro Khanna of California told MSNBC, “Less than 1 percent of the Epstein files have actually been released. The Esptein files are 300 gigabytes... and they’ve released less than one gigabyte.”
As the political wrangling played out, the DOJ also released hundreds of pages of transcripts from a recent interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, conducted in Tallahassee, Florida by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking, was moved to the minimum-security Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas about a week after the interview. The move raised eyebrows, but neither her lawyer nor the Bureau of Prisons has explained the reason.
The content of Maxwell’s interview has only fueled further debate. She categorically denied ever seeing President Trump behave inappropriately around anyone in Epstein’s circle—a claim that Laura Loomer, an unofficial Trump adviser, told The Washington Post “vindicated” the former president. “I think it’s pretty obvious that everything that President Trump has been saying about Epstein and the Epstein files has been proven true, given the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell herself testified under oath that she’d never witnessed President Trump do anything inappropriate,” Loomer said.
Maxwell also addressed other high-profile names. She told Blanche that, to her knowledge, actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker did not visit Epstein’s properties, and described supermodel Naomi Campbell’s friendship with Epstein as “independent.” None of these celebrities have been linked to any of Epstein’s crimes.
Perhaps most controversially, Maxwell denied the existence of Epstein’s infamous “client list” and was grilled about alleged links between Epstein, Trump, and Prince Andrew. She insisted she never introduced Prince Andrew to Epstein and dismissed as “rubbish” Virginia Giuffre’s claims that she was paid to have a relationship with the Duke of York. Maxwell went so far as to call the now-infamous photo of Andrew and Giuffre “literally a fake photo.”
For the family of Virginia Giuffre—a prominent Epstein accuser who died by suicide earlier in 2025—the DOJ’s decision to release Maxwell’s interview was a slap in the face. Speaking to Sky News, the Giuffre family said, “The content of these transcripts is in direct contradiction with felon Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction for child sex trafficking.” They accused the DOJ of giving Maxwell “a platform to rewrite history.”
Rep. Garcia echoed these concerns, calling Maxwell “a convicted sex trafficker and known liar. Her interview with Trump’s DOJ lawyer shows she’s desperate for a pardon. She claims no involvement in wrongdoing, which is insulting to the girls and young women she victimized and trafficked. She cannot be trusted.” Maxwell’s lawyer, for their part, said she would “welcome any relief” such as a pardon or commutation—a possibility that President Trump has not ruled out, though he has said he “had not thought about” it.
Maxwell also weighed in on Epstein’s death, telling Blanche she does not believe Epstein died by suicide, but called the idea that his death was ordered “ludicrous.”
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee remains divided. Democrats, frustrated by what they see as stonewalling and half-measures, continue to push for full disclosure. “This partial release is insulting to the survivors who have waited far too long for accountability,” Rep. Lee wrote. Republicans, for their part, say this is just the first batch, with more to come. Committee Chair James Comer has pledged a review before making documents public, citing the need to protect victims’ privacy.
With the dust far from settled and both survivors and lawmakers demanding more, the Epstein files saga seems destined to drag on. For now, the promise of transparency remains, at best, only partially fulfilled.
