The release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein was met with widespread disappointment. In February, a group of 15 right-wing influencers visited the White House to view binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” only to find little new information inside.
Fast forward to Friday, when the U.S. Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of pages related to Epstein, but the results were less than expected, fueling frustration. Despite grand promises of transparency, the documents were heavily redacted, making large portions unreadable.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, confidently declared that the Trump administration was the most transparent in U.S. history, claiming it had done more for Epstein’s victims than the Democrats. But what was actually released left much to be desired. Many pages were blacked out entirely, and the released files were clearly incomplete, according to critics. Norm Eisen, from Democracy Defenders Fund, stated, “What has been released is clearly incomplete and seems excessively redacted.”
The majority of the files included images of former president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, while there were very few, if any, references to Trump, despite his well-known past association with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Moreover, the release was far from complete. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had promised that hundreds of thousands of pages would be available, but the initial batch of documents was much smaller. Officials indicated that additional files would be released in stages, adding to the sense of a delayed and partial disclosure.
This created the impression of a cover-up, which was only amplified by Trump’s silence. When questioned about the release at a White House event, Trump, who usually addresses matters with his typical brashness, opted for a rare moment of quiet. “I prefer not to talk,” he said. “I really don’t want to ruin this big announcement by taking questions, even the fair ones.”
Throughout the year, Trump had been resistant to releasing the Epstein files, dismissing them as part of a “Democratic hoax.” However, pressure from a bipartisan group in Congress forced him to sign legislation in November requiring the release of all unclassified Epstein documents by December 19, in a searchable format. But the Trump administration missed that deadline, drawing criticism from Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed frustration, saying, “This release of heavily redacted files is just a small fraction of the full records.” He also pointed out that releasing documents with pages entirely blacked out undermines transparency, calling it a violation of the law.
Senator Jeff Merkley, who spearheaded the Epstein Files Transparency Act, accused the administration of deliberately disregarding the law. “By failing to comply, the administration is openly denying equal justice to Epstein’s victims,” he said.
The lack of transparency will hardly surprise Trump’s critics, many of whom have seen him bypass Congress on various matters in the past year, wielding executive orders with abandon. From a TikTok ban to dismantling USAID, Trump has shown little reluctance in sidestepping the legislative process.
Shortly after the Epstein document release, news broke that the U.S. military had launched airstrikes in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel. This move sparked echoes of a similar distraction tactic used by former President Bill Clinton, who ordered airstrikes against Iraq in 1998 amid his impeachment proceedings.
But Trump’s efforts to deflect attention from the Epstein matter will be challenging. A recent poll found that only 44% of Republicans approved of his handling of the issue, and many had hoped that the release of documents on Friday would finally bring clarity—yet again, the administration’s slow pace of disclosure has only fueled suspicion.
As the holiday season looms, Trump finds himself in a precarious situation. The long-awaited transparency turned into another frustrating episode, adding to the conspiracy theories that he once reveled in but now may be unable to avoid.
