US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Todd Blanche stated in their February 15, 2026, letter to congressional leaders that the Justice Department released all required Epstein files under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, covering nine categories like prosecutions, plea deals, and internal decisions. They emphasized no withholdings for embarrassment or political reasons, though some redactions protect privacy and legal privileges.
Lawmaker Criticisms
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a co-author of the Act, called the release incomplete on ABC’s This Week, demanding internal memos on prosecution decisions and criticizing “deliberative process privilege” claims as violating the law he co-wrote with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). Khanna echoed this on X, decrying the list’s lack of context—lumping figures like deceased Janis Joplin with predators like Larry Nassar—and urging full files with only survivor redactions.
List Context and Names
The 318-name list targets government officials and “politically exposed persons” mentioned once or more, in varied ways: direct emails with Epstein/Maxwell, media references, or unrelated docs. It includes Trump, Gates, Prince Andrew (noted as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor), Clinton (with past ties but denials of crimes), and even Elvis Presley; presence implies no wrongdoing.
Prior Issues
Earlier releases had redaction errors exposing victim info (e.g., emails, nudes), blamed on “technical or human error,” with flagged files removed. Victims’ lawyers and lawmakers previously flagged improper redactions, leading to fixes. Over 3.5 million pages total have been published in phases.
