Epstein files live updates: DOJ set to release next round of Epstein files as missing Trump photo reappears

A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton released a statement Monday, calling on Justice Department officials to release everything in the Epstein files to comply with the federal law.

“What the Department of Justice has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes it one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We do know whom, what or why. But we do this: we need no such protection,” Angel Ureña wrote.

Ureña went on to claim that the department’s refusal to release everything would perpetuate suspicion that the DoJ’s actions “are not about transparency, but about insinuation.”

“Using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorney Generals of both parties,” Ureña added.

Massie and Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said Sunday they were in the process of drafting “inherent contempt” against Bondi and building a bipartisan coalition in the House of Representatives to punish her for not releasing the full files by the December 19 deadline.

“Todd Blanche is the face of this, but it’s really the Attorney General’s Office, Pam Bondi, who is responsible,” Massie told CBS’s Face the Nation. “The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi.”

Inherent contempt is a congressional power that allows lawmakers to arrest and hold individuals until they comply with a congressional subpoena or punish them for obstructing investigations. It’s a self-enforcing power that gives Congress the ability to circumvent the typical civil or criminal court process.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said Monday morning that he believes the Department of Justice will release another round of files Monday afternoon.

We hear there will be another DOJ Epstein release this afternoon,” Khanna wrote on X before outlining what he hopes to see in the files.

The Justice Department re-uploaded a photo that depicted President Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein, released among the trove of materials in the Epstein files Friday, after taking it down briefly.

The image was briefly taken down over the weekend because it was flagged for further redactions to protect victims, the Department of Justice said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” the DoJ wrote Sunday.

A group of women who survived abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein released a statement Monday condemning the Justice Department for heavily redacting documents and not releasing the full cache of materials in its possession.

“It is alarming that the United States Department of Justice, the very agency tasked with upholding the law, has violated the law, both by withholding massive quantities of documents, and by failing to redact survivor identities,” the statement read.

The group accused the Justice Department of making “abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation” while also not protecting numerous victims’ identities.

They cited grand jury minutes, which judges approved the release of, that were “fully blacked out” rather than containing “scattered redactions.”

Yet, several survivors are reportedly seen their names and other identifying information unredacted in the files, attorneys representing more than 200 survivors of Epstein said.

“These are clear-cut violations of an unambiguous law,” the statement added.

Disclosures related to the Epstein Files Transparency Act include hundreds of undated photographs as well as heavily redacted images and case files, including 119 pages of grand jury testimony that have been totally blacked out.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he was introducing a resolution that would direct the Senate to initiate legal action against the Justice Department for not releasing the full Epstein files.

“The American people deserve full transparency, and Senate Democrats will use every tool at our disposal to ensure they get it. This Administration cannot be allowed to hide the truth,” Schumer wrote.