Washington, 20 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US Justice Department on Friday began to release hundreds of thousands of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case as a deadline for their publication expired.

The initial batches include heavily redacted documents, including from the FBI.

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier that not all documents related to the case would be released on Friday.

Officials had to make sure that the identity of the victims was protected on every single page that was published, with "hundreds thousand more" files to be published in the coming weeks, he told Fox News.

A month ago, the US Congress ordered the Department of Justice to release the documents to ensure transparency in the case related to the deceased sex offender. The deadline was set for December 19.

Epstein, a New York financier, moved for years within elite social circles and cultivated ties with powerful figures. Prosecutors say the US multimillionaire ran an abuse network over many years in which dozens of young women and minors were victimized. Epstein himself is accused of sexually abusing women and girls in locations including New York and Florida.

The allegations first reached court around two decades ago, when Epstein pleaded guilty to some charges. Years later, the case was reopened and Epstein was arrested again - the proceedings to which the newly ordered document release relates.

Before a further verdict could be reached, Epstein died in his New York jail cell in 2019 at the age of 66. An autopsy ruled his death a suicide.

There are extensive files on the case, but only excerpts had been publicly known so far. Many victims of abuse have gone public in recent years.

US President Donald Trump only signed a law requiring the release of the files after massive pressure from Congress, including from his own Republican Party.

During his presidential campaign, Trump called for the files to be released, but then resisted doing so after taking office.

Trump and Epstein were close associates for a time.

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reacted with outrage to the justice department's decision not to release all files at once.

"The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be - the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some," he wrote in an e-mail.

"People want the truth and continue to demand the immediate release of all the Epstein files. This is nothing more than a cover up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past."

Photo: EPA