It’s official. The Department of Justice has begun releasing the first tranche of the long-awaited Epstein files.

As expected, the volume is massive—tens of thousands of pages so far. This initial release contains transcripts, photographs, and investigative materials connected to years of inquiries into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. These documents span multiple investigations and jurisdictions and represent only a fraction of what the government admits exists.

I have provided a public link to the files here so you can review them directly.

EPSTEIN FILES

As you are reading this, I am beginning a comprehensive, line-by-line review of the materials. Let me be candid: this will take time. There is an enormous amount of information to sift through, cross-reference, and contextualize. If you value independent, sustained investigative work, please consider subscribing to support this effort—yes, including the inevitable coffee fund—and help ensure this reporting reaches as many Americans as possible.

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Other than a brief pause to celebrate my wife’s birthday, I will be working through these files continuously throughout the night, into the weekend, and into early next week. This article will be updated in stages:

  • Within the next 15–20 minutes: this article will be updated with a recap of my initial impressions. If you are in the Substack app, just come back to it. If you are reading it via email, just click on the link versus just opening the email.
  • Later this evening: a more detailed breakdown of key findings from the first batch
  • Ongoing updates: as additional documents are reviewed and new releases occur

    • Check back frequently. This story is moving fast.

    It is important to be clear about what is legally excluded. Any material containing a victim’s personally identifiable information, as well as explicit content depicting sexual or physical abuse, is not authorized for public release. That restriction is appropriate and necessary.

    However, that limitation does not justify withholding vast categories of non-protected documents.

    Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly confirmed that today’s release is only the beginning.

    Speaking to Fox News, Blanche stated that the Justice Department would release “several hundred thousand documents” today, encompassing photographs and other investigative materials tied to Epstein. He further acknowledged that several hundred thousand additional documents are expected to be released over the coming weeks.

    That admission matters—because it directly contradicts the law.

    The Epstein Files Transparency Act does not permit staggered, discretionary disclosures. It requires the release of all non-exempt Epstein files. Not some. Not most. All of them. And they are required to be released today.

    By the government’s own statements, that is not happening.

    Despite claims of transparency, the Trump Administration is already out of compliance with federal law.

    The ranking members of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees—Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin—have issued a joint statement sharply condemning what they describe as the administration’s “decision to defy the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

    “We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law,” the statement reads.

    This release is historic—but it is also incomplete. The public is being asked to accept partial transparency where the law demands total disclosure. That is unacceptable.

    I will continue reviewing every page that is made public, flagging what matters, what’s missing, and what the government still refuses to explain. The truth is not going away—and neither is this investigation.

    Stay tuned.