Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: House Oversight Committee, Getty Images

President Donald Trump has signed the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act — though perhaps reluctantly — so, at least in theory, it is now just a matter of time until the Justice Department releases its files related to the deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. But when the Trump administration will do that, and what, precisely, it will release, isn’t fully clear. Below is what we know about all of it.

When will the DoJ release the Epstein files, and what is the deadline?

According to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is now law, the Justice Department now has 30 days to produce the documents it has regarding the Epstein investigation, which means it has until December 19. When, exactly, it will release whatever it is going to release is not yet clear.

What files is it going to release?

That’s a good question. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said “we will follow the law” and has vowed “maximum transparency” regarding what information the Justice Department releases, but the law allows for some potentially significant flexibility — and Bondi has a very spotty track record when it comes to the Epstein files.

What the new law dictates is that the DoJ must release almost every piece of information it has collected — reportedly around 100,000 pages — across multiple investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as internal documents regarding Epstein’s death by suicide in a Manhattan federal jail.

What are the exceptions in the Epstein files bill?

According to the new law, the Justice Department can redact or hold back:

• Personally identifiable information regarding Epstein’s victims.• Materials depicting sexual abuse of children.• Classified information the Trump administration decides should be kept secret “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy.”• Information that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution” — but such withholding must be “narrowly tailored and temporary.”

Didn’t Trump just order the Justice Department to launch a new Epstein investigation?

Yes, he did. Last week, Trump announced that he had instructed the DoJ to open investigations into Epstein’s relationships with numerous prominent figures, including Democrats. This was widely interpreted to be an attempt to redirect Epstein-files attention away from himself. Bondi subsequently confirmed that the DoJ had launched a new investigation into “people and institutions” linked to Epstein.

This new active investigation, and any resulting attempted prosecutions, could give the Trump administration an excuse to withhold some of the Epstein files, though by law it cannot do so forever. How this plays out remains to be seen.

Are the DoJ’s Epstein files the same as the ones being released by the House Oversight Committee?

No, the House Oversight Committee has been releasing files it obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including Epstein’s infamous birthday book and last week’s massive data dump of more than 20,000 emails and other documents.

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