President Donald Trump remained silent Friday as outrage exploded over the Justice Department’s heavily redacted release of Jeffrey Epstein files, choosing instead to fly to Mar-a-Lago for the holidays without addressing the growing backlash.
The DOJ dropped more than 300,000 pages of documents tied to the late billionaire pedophile, but vast portions were blacked out, triggering accusations of a cover-up from both Democrats and Republicans. Many lawmakers said the release defied the law Trump himself signed just 30 days ago.
Trump spoke at a rally in North Carolina on Friday night, where he hyped the economy and mocked political rivals, but declined to mention Epstein or the document dump entirely. Hours later, he boarded Air Force One and headed to Florida.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), who helped push the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said the release fell far short of what Congress mandated.
“Unfortunately, today’s document release by Attorney General Pam Bondi grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law,” Massie wrote.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) went further, accusing the administration of protecting criminals.
“Now the coverup is out in the open,” she said. “Protecting a bunch of rapists and pedophiles because they have money, power, and connections. Bondi should resign tonight.”
The criticism was not limited to Democrats. Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) also blasted the redactions, with Greene calling the release “not MAGA” and warning that some Republicans were “raging and walking away.”
CNN anchor Jake Tapper dramatically scrolled through hundreds of pages live on air, showing viewers nothing but black boxes, per the Daily Mail.
“It’s all black,” Tapper said. “That’s the transparency we’re getting.”
Several Epstein victims also spoke out, expressing frustration that key details remain hidden.
“Just put out the files,” said Marina Lacerda, who says Epstein assaulted her beginning at age 14. “Stop redacting names that don’t need to be redacted.”
Another victim, Jess Michaels, said the release only reinforced concerns about corruption.
“What are they protecting?” she asked. “The coverup continues.”
The files that were released included images of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton appears repeatedly, including photos showing him relaxing in a pool and traveling on Epstein’s plane.
Trump, by contrast, is mentioned sparingly. One reference alleges Epstein introduced Trump to a 14-year-old girl at Mar-a-Lago, quoting Trump as saying, “This is a good one, right?” Trump has denied wrongdoing and has said he banned Epstein from his property once he learned of his crimes.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the redactions, insisting they were required by law to protect victims and sensitive material.
“The only redactions being applied are those required by law,” Blanche said. “There are no redactions of famous people.”
That claim has done little to calm the storm, especially after documents revealed a novelty check signed “D. Trump” that Epstein once received for $22,500, along with a redacted memo line.
So far, it is the only new material linking Trump to Epstein.
Despite the fury, Trump has refused to answer questions about the files, earlier telling reporters he didn’t want to “spoil” an event by taking unrelated questions.
