Justice Department Publishes First Epstein Files Transparency Report to Congress

The Department of Justice has published its first report to Congress under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, describing the categories of Epstein-related records released and withheld, the legal basis for redactions, and the government officials and politically exposed persons named in the reviewed materials. The notice, signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr., was published in the Federal Register of Thursday, August 27, 2026.

The report was submitted to the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary and is set forth in the Appendix to the notice. It was dated August 21, 2026, and filed for publication on August 26, 2026.

Legal basis

The Epstein Files Transparency Act (Public Law 119–38, 139 STAT. 656) requires the Department of Justice to publish a justification for the redactions and classification of records related to its review and release of records, documents, communications and investigative materials tied to various categories of materials.

Pursuant to Section 2 of the Act, the Department is publishing a report that covers three distinct elements of its disclosure work:

• all categories of records released and withheld;
• a summary of the redactions made, including the legal basis for each;
• a list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the reviewed materials.

What the report contains

The notice frames the report as the Department’s first accounting to Congress under the new transparency law, which responds to sustained public interest in the release of files connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The report is intended to make the Department’s disclosure decisions auditable by both lawmakers and the public.

The full text of the report appears in the Appendix to the notice, which is available through the Office of the Associate Attorney General (telephone 202–514–9500). The notice itself does not reproduce the list of named individuals, instead directing readers to the Appendix.

Publication details

The notice was published in the Notices section of the Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 165, and carries the official document reference FR Doc. 2026–17533. It was filed on August 26, 2026, at 8:45 a.m., under billing code 4410–21–C.

The release marks the first formal transparency accounting under the Act and gives the public a documented basis to track which Epstein-related records have been made available and which remain withheld, and on what legal grounds.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 165, August 27, 2026, Notices, p. 55356 (official reference: FR Doc. 2026–17533).