this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2026

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771

Nearly all Epstein files still unreleased a month after Congress deadline (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 4 days ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/news@lemmy.world

53 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The law was clear: Donald Trump’s Department of Justice was required to disclose all investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein by 19 December 2025, with rare exceptions.

One month after this deadline mandated by Congress’s Epstein Files Transparency Act, however, Trump’s justice department has not complied with this law, prompting questions about when – and whether – authorities will ever release investigative documents about the late sex offender.

Justice department attorneys said in a 5 January Manhattan court filing that they had posted approximately 12,285 to DoJ’s website, equating to some 125,575 pages, under this legislation’s requirements. They said in this same letter that justice department staff had identified “more than 2 million documents potentially responsive to the Act that are in various phases of review”.

That these DoJ’s disclosures apparently comprise a drop in the bucket – and have done little to shed light on how Epstein operated with apparent impunity for years – has roiled survivors’ advocates and lawmakers. They include attorney Spencer Kuvin, who has represented dozens of Epstein’s survivors.

They note that the Department of Justice has also flouted another requirement of this act, which requires that the attorney general provide a report identifying “categories of records released and withheld and summarizing all redactions and their legal bases” within 15 days of their disclosure deadline.

“To date, no such report has been provided. Without it, there is no authoritative accounting of what records exist, what has been withheld, or why, making effective oversight and judicial review far more difficult,” they wrote. “Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act.”

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[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 23 points 3 days ago (2 children)

This is what happens when you allow conservatives to have power.

You get lawlessness. You get repeated violations of our Constitutional rights. You get masked militarized forces in our cities, harrassing and murdering our citizens. You get broken allegiances.

Anyone out there reading this that fucked around with not voting or voting for a candidate that could not, under any circumstances, win......this is what happens when you fuck around and let conservatives have power. Think real hard about that the next election, if there is one.

[–] Joelk111@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

I want ranked choice voting so fucking badly.

[–] lmagitem@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 days ago (2 children)

In the original meaning of the word, conservatives are just people that want to keep the current order. They are not conservatives, they are reactionaries, the authoritarian flavor. Democrats are more conservatives than them actually.

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Yeah conservatives is a bad term. I prefer regressives

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Agreed.

American conservatives are not conservatives. They are fascists, by definition. I guess I only call them conservatives out of habit.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

They are choosing to take all the penalties for not following this law, which are as follows:

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

[–] D_C@sh.itjust.works 77 points 4 days ago (3 children)

HEY, GUYS, WHADDABOUT THAT GREENLAND. IT'S OVER THERE, LOOK...AND I'M GOING TO INVADE IT. GUYS, JUST FORGET ABOUT THE CHILD RAPE STUFF I DID WITH MY MATE JEFFERY AND CONCENTRATE ON GREENLAND!!!

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 21 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Sooner or later you have to acknowledge that the distraction is much worse than the Epstein Files.

If Trump withdraws the US from NATO that would have very grave implications for global stability.

I don't want to minimise the suffering of Epstein & Trump's victims, but a global conflict with millions of casualties is more concerning.

[–] lena@gregtech.eu 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It's legit crazy to see liberals six months late to the party on everything.

In the middle of 2024, they were too scared to talk about the Epstein files and fixated on Russia. In the middle of 2025, the Schumercrats finally got on board, just as shit in LA and DC and Minnesota was popping off. By the middle of 2026, maybe they'll be talking about how the invocation of the Insurrection Act is a problem.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 3 points 3 days ago

At this point the Epstein files are the distraction.

[–] D_C@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago

Yep, completely agree...however acknowledging that fact doesn't make anything stop or go away.

Furthermore, if everyone stopped talking about Epstein and the raping of children, or if no one had ever mentioned it, then this type of shit would still happen because the orange buffoon is obviously compromised by russia, and putin wants the EU to be weakened.
The distractions are just an added 'bonus' for obese paedo.

[–] Pelicanen@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I agree but I suspect his base doesn't. They love all this power projection and hostility, and the Epstein stuff is something that they're unusually not in agreement with the administration on.

That being said, I think it detracts from the real implications of these actions if they're only referred to as a distraction. These are very, very likely things that Trump wants to implement regardless and not just something that's done to shift the attention elsewhere.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

They could release video footage of Trump raping an infant to death and his base would find a way to justify it.

Anyone who thinks Trump will suffer any consequences from being implicated in the files is delusional.

[–] IronBird@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

(smart) people really don't care about trump, he will be short-lived even if he makes it through this 2nd term. it's about cutting out the rot behind him, cults of personality rarely extend past the cult-head.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I really do care about Trump, and I don't care whether you think I'm smart.

He may be old, and even unwell, but the amount of damage he's doing every day / week / month is obscene. Just in the last week he's done significant lasting harm to trade relations with Europe.

If he withdraws the US from NATO he will have done irreparable damage to global security.

I don't have a lot of faith that the harm he's doing can be undone.

[–] IronBird@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

i just dont think it'll be materially different with vance in place of trump, the national distraction/embarrassment aspect might be less but the bts christofacist shit would be much more precise

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 1 points 3 days ago

You might be right, I dont know.

Trump seems to have absolute control of the republican party. Its not clear whether Vance would have that same grip.

[–] Petter1@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

This, and Israel, and Russia, and China..

They love tRump for distracting all western countries, or at least a big mass of people living in those countries, so they can do their stuff without public eyeballs, just like it was back in the pre-internet times.

[–] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Social media used to scare the state because people can organize and protest and overall complain better.

They kinda figured out only one topic trends at a time for each category now. Also just paying socal media companies can influence it a lot too.

So the tactic is hinting the pedophilia while bombing Palestine and invading Venezuela for oil and sending ICE along with threathening Greenland/Europe at same time. Three of these then get ignored.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Social media used to scare the state because people can organize and protest and overall complain better.

That was over a decade ago. The big social media companies have tightened up their algorithms significantly and can strictly control what is "trending", who can see another person's content, and what kind of organization can occur.

Reactionaries were way out ahead on this when they started their own smattering of alt-media (Truth Social being a branch of Mastadon is painfully ironic, given how the platform has been flogged by Lefties as an alternative to Twitter since the Obama Administration). Liberals are still huddled on Facebook and Instagram and Reddit, struggling through waves of Shrimp Jesus content and screamer ads for MyPillow, to post "Trump has small ads" into an echo-chamber of bot accounts.

So the tactic is hinting the pedophilia while bombing Palestine and invading Venezuela for oil and sending ICE along with threathening Greenland/Europe at same time. Three of these then get ignored.

None of them are ignored. At the same time, vanishingly few people seem to know who to talk to in order to contribute to an organization that opposes these policies. Just whispering the phrase "DSA" sets off a firestorm of angry liberals blaming Ilhan Omar for costing Harris the election. Meanwhile, Chris Coons is the only Dem in the Senate with anything resembling a spine and he can't seem to get the corporate camera crews to notice him.

None of this shit is getting ignored. All of it is very deliberately suppressed.

[–] nodiratime@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Also, people are just sitting on their ass all day, captured in the algo, doom scrolling...

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

The actual law is meaningless anymore.

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 58 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Start putting people in prison until they get the hint.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 62 points 4 days ago (2 children)

The people who put people in prison are in the files, bud.

[–] DaMummy@hilariouschaos.com 19 points 4 days ago

And so are the people that own the prisons.

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[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Put them in prison. No reviews, no excuses, no second chances. Replace them with someone else, repeat until you find the guy who will actually release them.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Put them in prison.

Yeah, okay, I've called FBI director Kash Patel and he's got me on hold.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Fuck Patel. Let's skip to the Mussolini timeline.

[–] Arancello@aussie.zone 38 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Havent you guys figured out yet? that there is no longer the rule of law in your cesspit shithole if a country? There will be no consequences for this and no one in power cares.

[–] innermachine@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That certainly seems to be the trend. Do you mind if I ask what country your from? I assume Australia by the @. Always wanted to visit there.

[–] Arancello@aussie.zone 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

yes oz

[–] innermachine@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Nice. Unfortunately for the USA, I believe we have more right wing morons than your country has a population as a whole. It is very hard to beat out our loud minority (magats etc). Unfortunately I believe our population has been far too complacent to billionaire interests for far too long and now we're reaping what our fathers sowed. It's tough. There is a lot of unrest. I live in one of the most liberal states in the country, where our president is threatening to pull federal funding for not bowing down to the supreme leader. But you bet your ass I can't skip out on paying the fed taxes this year. We have people on the other side of the continent telling us who is and isn't allowed in our communities. I fear we're beyond redemption at this point, and we have a whole generation that will have to attone for our ancestors sins.

[–] Ironfist79@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Deadlines mean nothing and the law means nothing unless you are willing to enforce it.

[–] luciferofastora@feddit.org 1 points 3 days ago

A law that's not enforced is a suggestion

[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 37 points 4 days ago (1 children)

They'd rather start ww3 than shame the god king emperor.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 3 days ago

They'd rather have US citizens die than shame Trump.

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

WTF is a Jeffery Epstein? 🫲🍊🫱

[–] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago

Well, at least Trumps friends won’t get hurt

[–] ChonkyLincoln@lemmy.zip 13 points 3 days ago

Because the Pedophile in Chief is all over them. If I wasn’t clear, Donald J Trump is a pedophile and war criminal, felon and should be tried for his many many egregious crimes.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago

The world: "Yeah. That's about what we expected...."

[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

So what happens now? Jail time? Where do I watch?

Any consequences at all?

There is no law without consequences. If this is really the administration of "law and order", shouldn't we be seeing examples of it for whoever is obstructing the release of these files, which Congress actually voted to release?

[–] Tehbaz@lemmy.wtf 2 points 3 days ago

The consequences start when a critical mass of workers stop working and are in the streets on general strike, and shooting back if the feds decide to shoot first.

Yes, it will be uncomfortable and will mean that people will not get their paychecks. But staying passive is only going to make it harder in the long run.

[–] nao@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

what if not releasing the files is the distraction

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Guessing that "special master" business was just so much smoke and mirrors

[–] kali_fornication@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

it's a long shot, but i'm hoping that given how incompetent the trump admin is, they just release all the files on whitehouse.gov, but you can remove the black highlighter with inspect element

[–] bappity@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

how shocking! oh my goodness! and I bet nothing will be done about it either

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