‘I’ve never seen anything like this’: Epstein victims’ lawyer blasts DOJ’s file release as ‘incompetence’ mixed with ‘cover up’

The Department of Justice is under fire for how it handled the release of Jeffrey Epstein files. A lawyer representing 11 victims called the entire process a mix of “incompetence” and “cover up.” Attorney Arick Fudali said he has never seen this level of failure in his career.

The release has been full of problems. Despite heavy redactions, some victims found their own names in the released documents. This is a serious issue because protecting victim privacy should be the top priority.

The administration missed the December 19, 2025 deadline set by Congress to release all relevant files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recently announced the release of 3.5 million additional files to comply with the Epstein Transparency Act. According to Mediaite, the dump included over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, with much of the visual material being commercial pornography seized from Epstein’s devices.

The DOJ’s handling reveals both cover-up attempts and serious mistakes

Fudali believes the accidental release of sensitive information and the quick removal of other files shows the DOJ’s failure. He said, “It’s really concerning. And really, what’s so baffling about this is on one hand, it’s a cover-up, but on the other hand, it’s incompetence.

So you have this combination, this sort of like perfect storm of trying to cover up what they don’t want people to see, but then accidentally covering up what they shouldn’t allow people to see, or accidentally showing people what they shouldn’t see.”

One strange part of the file dump involves President Trump, who was once friends with Epstein but has denied any wrongdoing. The files included wild, uncorroborated tips sent to the FBI accusing the president of serious crimes dating back years. These documents appeared on the DOJ website and were then quickly removed. This isn’t the first time Epstein’s trafficking network faced sudden obstacles in public exposure.

Blanche said the White House had no control over what was released. He defended President Trump, noting that even when Epstein tried to criticize the president, he never suggested Trump committed crimes or had inappropriate contact with victims.

The uncorroborated tips included shocking allegations. One claimed the president forced a 13- or 14-year-old to perform oral sex about 35 years ago in New Jersey. Another alleged the president was present when a complainant’s newborn child was murdered. A third tip mentioned parties at Mar-a-Lago involving children.

Another complaint alleged a sex trafficking ring at a Trump Golf Course in California where Ghislaine Maxwell acted as a “madam” and “broker.” This person claimed Trump’s head of security threatened her, saying she would “end up as fertilizer for the back nine holes like the other c—s” if she talked about what she saw. 

Fudali has previously spoken out about what the DOJ keeps hidden from the public. Blanche stated the department used multiple layers of review to protect victims, but the immediate removal of documents raises questions about how thorough that process really was.