The Justice Department will release files in its possession related to Jeffrey Epstein Friday at 3 p.m., a “source familiar” with the agency’s plans revealed to NewsNation’s Libbey Dean.
The DOJ is compelled by law to release all of its files on Epstein – the wealthy financier who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, and was known for his close ties to powerful and influential figures – after the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month, which gave the DOJ 30 days to properly redact and release all of its files on Epstein.
That 30-day timeline reached its 30th day on Friday, and as of 12 p.m. EST, the DOJ has yet to release any files.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who filed the Epstein Files Transparency Act alongside Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), issued the Trump administration a blunt warning Friday, and Khanna has warned Attorney General Pam Bondi that she may face prosecution should she fail to comply with the new law.
The Trump administration initially pushed back against releasing additional files on Epstein, with President Donald Trump – who himself had a long relationship with Epstein – declaring inquiries into Epstein a “hoax.”
Epstein once called Trump his "closest friend for 10 years,” with a recent release of files on Epstein from the House Oversight Committee revealing that Trump might have “spent hours” with one of Epstein’s victims at his home, and may have spent Thanksgiving with Epstein during his first term in office. Trump has also flown on Epstein’s private jet at least seven times in the 1990s.NEW: DOJ plans to release Epstein documents around 3 PM TODAY, a source familiar with the plan tells me @NewsNation
— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) December 19, 2025