DOJ releases more than 550 fully redacted pages in Epstein document dump

On December 19, 2025, the DOJ met its first mandatory deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act by releasing hundreds of thousands of pages — but the release included at least 550 completely blacked-out pages, including a 255-page consecutive block and a 119-page grand jury transcript with zero readable content. Researchers discovered that copying text from certain DOJ PDFs into a text editor revealed hidden content, and 16 files vanished from the DOJ website within 24 hours. A bipartisan group of 12 senators led by Richard Blumenthal, Lisa Murkowski, and Adam Schiff then demanded an Inspector General audit of the redaction process.