The Epstein Files Release is a Failure. Survivors Deserve Better.
Is the U.S. Justice Department afraid to pursue powerful men?
By Rachel Foster
More than 50 days past the legal deadline, the Department of Justice declared it has completed its release of the Epstein files and that no other action will be taken. For survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, who fought for decades to see their reports of sexual abuse and trafficking to powerful men investigated and the files released to the public, this announcement represents a profound betrayal on two fronts: the government has recklessly exposed the survivors’ identities while continuing to protect the powerful men who abused them and those who enabled ongoing abuse.
For these survivors, the fight for truth, accountability, and justice has never been political or partisan. It is deeply personal.
When my World Without Exploitation co-founder Lauren Hersh and I first met with Epstein survivors — many of whom were sexually abused and trafficked when they were very young — we promised that we would fight alongside them and not stop until all the files were released and they had answers. Now, five months since we gathered for a rally on Capitol Hill where survivors came together for the first time, three months since the signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and more than 50 days after the deadline for releasing the files, we continue to fight for what survivors were promised — the release of all the files, protection of their identities, and accountability for the men who perpetrated and conspired in the abuse.
None of that has happened.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that while “victims want to be made whole,” DOJ cannot “create evidence” or “come up with a case that isn’t there.” That claim rings hollow when DOJ itself has acknowledged that three million pages of records remain withheld — that’s half the investigative files. These aren’t merely administrative documents; they’re case files from a multi-decade investigation into a vast international sex trafficking enterprise. DOJ has provided no meaningful explanation of what is missing, why it is missing, or whether the public will ever see it. Further, there are millions of redactions in the released files, including names of men who, at a minimum, purposefully turned a blind eye to the abuse and trafficking of women and girls or, at worst, engaged in sex crimes against over 1,200 known victims, including hundreds of minors.
But the greater travesty is how DOJ has irreparably endangered the very survivors the act was meant to protect. Whether through deliberate action or gross incompetence, the failure to properly redact names and identifying details has caused survivors extreme distress and fear. The names of Jane Does, who had remained anonymous for 30 years, were exposed at grave personal cost. A list of 32 victims’ names was released, with a single name redacted, making clear this was not inadvertent. Reprehensibly, our own government published nude photographs of women, and possibly minors, in the released materials, which constitutes the dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
Survivors have described this as a horrific betrayal by our government. For many survivors, it confirms their worst fear – that reporting abuse only increases their vulnerability, and discourages others from coming forward. The chilling effect of this egregious failure to protect victims, as required by the act, will have a profound negative impact on sex crimes disclosures and prosecutions. And it will ultimately embolden perpetrators.
Survivors and their representatives have formally asked DOJ to take immediate corrective action, including removing exposed materials and releasing them with proper redactions and also issuing clear warnings that redactions failed and survivors must not be contacted or identified.
To date, they have received no response.
Deputy Attorney General Blanche callously dismissed survivor demands and recently said, “it isn’t a crime to attend a party with Mr. Epstein.” That rhetoric is both diminishing and grotesque. Survivors are not alleging guilt by association. They are demanding investigation into rape, sex trafficking, and a network of abuse that operated for decades with impunity, and the files contain clear investigative leads that appear wholly unpursued.
The contrast with international action makes America’s inaction even more glaring. In the U.K., Prince Andrew has lost his title and Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, has resigned from the House of Lords and may face police questioning. Lithuania is launching a human trafficking probe related to the Epstein files, and Poland is reviewing the three million released files for references to possible Polish victims. These countries are treating the Epstein files as what they are: evidence requiring investigation.
But in America — where these crimes may have largely occurred, where Epstein operated, and where most of the survivors still live — powerful men brush off their inclusion in the files for highly problematic interactions with Epstein and continue living their lives undisturbed. Though we are starting to see isolated movement toward accountability — Hillary and Bill Clinton are set to testify before Congress; former chairman of Paul Weiss Brad Karp stepped down; David Ross, the director of the School of Visual Arts in New York; and Peter Attia, the celebrity longevity doctor, is facing backlash for his email exchanges with Epstein — professional and reputational fallout, though warranted, is not a substitute for real investigations.
Other countries are beginning to do the work American law enforcement refuses to do. They are examining the same files DOJ claims contain no prosecutable leads and finding reasons to investigate and punish. The same lack of accountability that we are witnessing in real time is what let these deplorable acts and impunity continue unabated for decades. This raises an uncomfortable question — is DOJ unwilling to pursue powerful men?
The federal government must act. And relentless public pressure is essential. DOJ cannot declare closure while sitting on millions of pages of relevant files. It cannot shield countless men who are included in the reports without compelling an investigation into their knowledge of criminal activities and their culpability. And it must immediately address its catastrophic exposure of survivor information.
Going forward, survivors and the public deserve three things. First, DOJ must fully release all files with redactions only for protecting victim identities. Second, DOJ must pursue every lead in these files, whether through criminal prosecution, civil referrals, or coordination with state authorities. Third, there must be accountability for DOJ officials whose failures endangered survivors. The burden should not be placed on victims to risk their lives to obtain justice when our government has a legal and ethical mandate to do so.
These brave women have been united and fortified throughout this fight. They will not be silenced and intimidated by our government’s failures. We owe them more than betrayal. We owe them justice.
Rachel Foster is the co-founder and president of World Without Exploitation.
It's likely that there are dozens if not hundreds of sex predators involved in the sexual abuse of the 1200 known victims of Epstein's et al predations. Yet only two have been prosecuted: Epstein and Maxwell. When will some law enforcement agency pull back the curtain and reveal the identity of the alleged sexual predators? Let them have their day in court. DEMAND that they and victims have their day in court.
Yes, our current DOJ is unwilling to pursue powerful men.