With the midterm elections just days away, serious questions are mounting about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files after a new review reportedly found that tens of thousands of pages appear to be missing from the records.
The findings, reported by CBS News, also raise questions about the Trump administration’s repeated claims that it is not withholding Epstein-related material on national security grounds.
Attorney General Todd Blanche has insisted that officials are not concealing records for that reason. But Justice Department documents reviewed by CBS indicate that federal authorities handled classified material connected to Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender whose relationships with wealthy and powerful figures have fueled years of public scrutiny.
One inventory from March 2025 shows that two CDs containing classified material were delivered to Blanche’s office while he was still deputy attorney general. A separate FBI email from the same day identified additional documents that were classified at the time.
What those records contained, and whether they were later declassified or withheld from public release, remains unclear.
That uncertainty is only part of the problem.
CBS News compared identification numbers assigned to evidence during earlier investigations with those associated with the government’s public release. The comparison suggested that tens of thousands of pages from previously assembled records were absent.
The findings arrive amid mounting pressure on an administration that campaigned on transparency surrounding Epstein and his connections to wealthy and influential people—including President Donald Trump.
Trump and some of his supporters have promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein’s activities and alleged connections to a broader network of sexual abuse. Trump has said he ended his friendship with Epstein in the mid-2000s.
During his campaign, Trump pledged greater transparency about Epstein’s crimes and powerful associates. His administration later faced a backlash after releasing a limited batch of material that critics said consisted largely of information already in the public domain.
Millions of Pages Reviewed, But Only About Half Released
Congress passed legislation last November requiring the publication of federal investigative records concerning Epstein, subject to limited exemptions, including protections for victims’ identities.
Trump signed the measure into law after months of controversy over his administration’s resistance to releasing the records.
The Justice Department said it reviewed roughly 6 million pages but published only about half, citing legally protected information as reasons for withholding the rest.
That explanation is now under renewed scrutiny as questions persist about the completeness of the release and the handling of classified records.
Blanche took over the effort after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi amid criticism of her handling of the disclosures. Since then, Blanche has repeatedly defended the department’s review process.
But legal challenges are continuing.
Journalist Katie Phang sued Blanche in April, accusing the Justice Department of unlawfully withholding records and failing to provide legally required explanations for redactions.
A federal judge has since issued orders requiring additional disclosures or further justifications. The administration is appealing those orders.
Phang is also seeking an independent reviewer to examine whether the Justice Department has complied with the congressional disclosure requirements and the court’s orders.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation intended to strengthen legal challenges over evidence withheld from public view.
The Justice Department has not publicly resolved the questions raised by the latest findings.
But until the department clearly accounts for the missing material and explains how classified records were handled, the questions surrounding the Epstein files are unlikely to disappear.
