US Justice Department will release Epstein files within 30 days, Bondi says

Summary

• US Justice Department will release Jeffrey Epstein investigation files within 30 days, following Congressional pressure for transparency.
• The release aims to shed light on Epstein's activities and associations, though it may be limited to protect victims' identities.
• Some material might be withheld to avoid impacting Trump's investigations of Democratic figures associated with Epstein.

WASHINGTON - The US Justice Department will release files from its investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, Attorney-General Pam Bondi said on Nov 19, after Congress voted nearly unanimously to force President Donald Trump’s administration to make them public.

The material could shed more light on the activities of Epstein, who socialised with Mr Trump and other notable figures before his 2008 conviction on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The scandal has been a thorn in Mr Trump’s side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters.

Many Trump voters believe his administration has covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges.

At a news conference, Ms Bondi confirmed that the Justice Department will release its Epstein-related material
within 30 days, as required by legislation that passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Senate on Nov 18.

“We will continue to follow the law and encourage maximum transparency,” she said.

But that release may not be comprehensive, as the agency may have to hold back material that could impact Trump-ordered investigations of Democratic figures who associated with Epstein.

The department also will protect the identities of any sex-trafficking victims whose names appear in the documents, she said. REUTERS