What do we know about the Epstein files?

The words Epstein files have been haunting the administration of US President Donald Trump for months as it grapples with a growing crisis over the crimes of late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Pressure was building from Trump's own supporters and from voices within his own Republican Party for more transparency on what the federal investigations into Epstein uncovered.

After weeks of resisting release, Trump reversed course and urged Republicans to vote to open the Epstein files to public scrutiny.

Both chambers of Congress approved a measure that compels the US Justice Department to release all files pertaining to its investigation into Epstein.

The following day, Trump announced in a social media post that he had signed a bill that approved the release of the files.

Now, the Justice Department has 30 days to release all the files - except for those that relate to an active criminal investigation, identify victims of Epstein's abuse or invade their privacy, or contain images of physical and child sex abuse, death, or injury.

What are the Epstein files?

In 2008, Epstein reached a plea deal with prosecutors after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home.

Photos of girls were found throughout the house, and he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender. He escaped a heavy jail sentence as a result of the deal.

Eleven years later, he was charged with running a network of underage girls for sex. He died in prison while awaiting trial and his death was ruled a suicide.

These two criminal investigations amassed a vast trove of documents including transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses, and items confiscated from raids on his various properties.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found over 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence in its databases, hard drives and other storage, according to a 2025 memo from the Justice Department.

While some of the files likely include materials gathered by prosecutors working at federal and state levels to investigate Epstein, the Justice Department has stated that there is a large volume of images and videos of victims and other illegal child abuse material, which will not be released to the public.

There was also a separate investigation into his British co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to traffic girls for sex.

What has already been released on Epstein?

At various stages over the years, some materials have been put into the public domain.

Recently, thousands of documents belonging to the Epstein estate were released by the House Oversight Committee, mostly comprising emails.

This was not the first tranche released by the House Oversight Committee since it subpoenaed Epstein's estate earlier in the year.

An earlier release included a birthday book with a note to Epstein bearing Trump's name, which he has denied writing.

What happens now that Trump has approved release?

The vote in the House of Representatives was forced by a discharge petition getting its critical 218th signature to trigger action on the floor.

Four Republicans and all 214 Democrats in the House signed the petition.

The vote to release the files took place on November 18, passed 427-to-1 in the House, with Republican lawmaker Clay Higgins as the sole no vote.

Once the bill passed in the lower chamber, it swiftly moved to the Senate where it passed via unanimous consent - a procedure that speeds up the legislative process. Trump signed it into law shortly after.

Who is named in the Epstein files?

The contents of the unreleased documents remain largely unknown.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump was informed by Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name appeared in FBI documents, but being named does not imply wrongdoing.

Why are people so interested in Epstein?

Die-hard members of Trump's MAGA movement have long claimed that officials are concealing pivotal truths regarding Epstein's life and death.

Questions about his lenient sentencing, possible connections to powerful figures, and the circumstances of his prison death remain hot topics of speculation and conspiracy theories.