Republican critics fear incomplete disclosure of Epstein files will loom over midterms

Republicans will fight to retain control of Congress next year, and the party fears the Epstein controversy could negatively affect their chances.

The extensive redactions and limited number of documents released regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have angered some Republicans. They have done little to defuse a scandal threatening the party as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

The Trump administration has touted this week’s release of a series of Epstein-related files as a show of transparency, but a handful of Republican lawmakers and right-wing media figures joined Democrats in calling Friday’s disclosures inadequate and possibly a violation of a law that prompted their release.

While the criticism fell far short of provoking a broader party backlash, it underscored that the controversy over Epstein was far from over and would likely persist into next year, when Republicans fight to keep control of Congress.

The release of the files, starting Friday and followed by a second, much smaller batch on Saturday, aims to comply with a bipartisan law passed by Congress in November that mandated the release of all Epstein files held by the Justice Department, despite months-long efforts to keep them sealed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who once considered Epstein a close friend.

The new disclosure represents only a fraction of the total data the FBI and Justice Department said they had regarding Epstein and have been largely redacted, including several documents of 100 pages or more that were entirely blacked out.

Also notable is the lack of references to Trump, who had a high-profile friendship with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s. Instead, the released files largely featured former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat and political foe.

Add to the controversy

Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former Senate aide, said the limited disclosures would fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein and legitimate transparency concerns, potentially dampening turnout among Trump voters.

“The heavily redacted disclosures of the Epstein documents have added fuel to the fire of controversy,” Darling said. “This remains a political risk for all Republicans in uncertain seats as the midterm elections approach.”

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday released some 300,000 pages of documents, photos and other material from government investigations into Epstein, who died by suicide in a prison cell in 2019 while facing federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.

The wealthy financier’s associations with high-profile figures fueled speculation about whether anyone in his social circle was involved in his alleged sexual activity. One person, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, has been convicted so far on Epstein-related charges.

The Epstein scandal resonates with much of Trump’s base because it reinforces their belief in a corrupt establishment, often referred to as the “deep state,” willing to protect itself at all costs, a narrative that Trump has repeatedly promoted.

Rachel Blum, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma, said the lack of fuller disclosures could erode support among some Trump supporters, including young men who turned to him in 2024, in part because of their distrust of government.

“It risks becoming the deep state,” Blum said. “I think this risks damaging his credibility more than many of the other scandals he’s been through.”

‘People are furious and leaving,’ says MTG

The Justice Department’s initial disclosure does not comply with the law’s mandate that all investigative files involving Epstein be released by December 19. The law allowed records to be withheld or deleted if the information posed a threat to national security or identified victims of sexual abuse.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday the deadline was missed because of the massive volume of data and the need for careful redactions to protect victims. He promised to release more files “over the coming weeks.”

Democrats criticized the administration for failing to release all the records and for numerous redactions. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a co-author of the law requiring full disclosure, raised possible impeachment of Blanche and Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to disclose the records in a timely manner.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who worked with Khanna on the legislation, said he, too, believed Bondi was violating the law, warning in a message to X that she and others could face criminal charges in the future when the Justice Department is in Democratic hands.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a House Republican who split with Trump last month over his efforts to demand disclosure of the Epstein files, cited the failure to release all documents as well as heavy redactions among actions she saw as inconsistent with Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

“People are furious and leaving,” she wrote on X.

Some conservative commentators also criticized the Justice Department’s decision not to disclose more.

Kyle Seraphin, a right-wing podcaster and former FBI agent, reposted an old Bondi X-rated post praising the Trump administration as the most transparent in history, saying: “We feel like it’s ironic at this point…”

Owen Shroyer, a podcaster who was pardoned by Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol but has since become a critic of the president, said he believes the Justice Department intentionally slowed down disclosures.

“They covered up the Epstein files. There’s no other way to say it now,” Shroyer wrote on X after Friday’s publication.