Trump Questions When DOJ Should Say 'No More' to Releasing Epstein Files And Start on Election Fraud

Trump publicly criticised the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over the pace and content of releases required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, urging the department to prioritise election-fraud investigations and disclosures instead. The controversy has intensified scrutiny of accountability, legal obligations and executive influence over prosecutorial decisions.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by Trump on Nov. 19, 2025, requires the Attorney General to make all unclassified DOJ documents related to Jeffrey Epstein publicly available within 30 days of enactment. The law passed the House 427–1 and received unanimous Senate consent, establishing a statutory disclosure deadline.

Legislative Mandate and DOJ Document Releases

Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (Pub. L. 119–38), the Department of Justice was legally required to publish all unclassified records in its possession relating to Jeffrey Epstein by Dec. 19, 2025. This encompasses investigative files, correspondence, and unsealed court materials. Trump signed the Act on Nov. 19, 2025, obliging DOJ to meet the deadline.

Despite that mandated deadline, the Justice Department publicly acknowledged on social media that it could not meet the deadline due to an unexpectedly large volume of documents that federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified. That statement, posted on the DOJ's official X (formerly Twitter) account, said the department had uncovered more than 1 million potentially relevant documents and would require more time to redraft and release them.

The DOJ post added that 'lawyers [are] working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims', and pledged to release the documents 'as soon as possible'.

DOJ's Defence and Trump's Reactions Over Epstein Material

In its X posts, the Department of Justice said that 'some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election'. The DOJ added that 'to be clear: the claims are unfounded and false', underscoring that document presence does not equate to verified wrongdoing.

The DOJ's statement reflects the department's official position regarding certain allegations mentioned within the released files. It is a direct source from the Justice Department, not a media interpretation.

Trump himself has commented on the ongoing release process and on the content of the Epstein files in public posts on his Truth Social account. Those posts criticise the volume and nature of the disclosures and invoke broader political themes, including election integrity.

Separately, earlier in 2025, the Justice Department asked federal courts to unseal aspects of the grand jury testimony from the Epstein case, a rare federal judicial request where prosecutors seek public access to materials normally sealed under grand jury secrecy rules. In Manhattan federal court filings, DOJ wrote that it would work with prosecutors to 'make appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information' so release would comply with legal protections.

That motion, filed in July 2025, represents a primary legal document accessible through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, the authoritative source for federal filings. However, on Aug. 20, 2025, Judge Richard Berman denied a DOJ motion to unseal the grand jury transcripts, reiterating that federal grand jury secrecy rules serve to protect witnesses and victims. This decision is documented in the federal record and can be accessed directly via PACER.

Trump's Election Fraud Agenda and DOJ Focus

While the Epstein file disclosures have become legally and politically fraught, Trump has simultaneously urged the Department of Justice to prioritise other areas of investigation and disclosure, notably matters surrounding alleged election fraud in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. His public and private remarks to senior Justice Department officials, including the Attorney General, reflect a tension between competing enforcement and disclosure priorities.

The unresolved release of Epstein files has become a legal and political flashpoint, with Trump publicly questioning when the Department of Justice should say 'no more' to further disclosures and shift the department's focus toward alleged election fraud, a debate playing out atop statutory deadlines and explicit legislative mandates.