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The DOJ says it took down 9,000 of the Epstein files

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The Justice Department has removed thousands of files linked to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from its website, it said in a court filing.

In a Thursday letter to judges in the Southern District of New York, DOJ officials said they had removed approximately 9,500 documents, in part because they originally included information that identified Epstein’s victims.

The letter was signed by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton. It was filed in the court docket for the criminal cases against Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Victims’ lawyers had asked judges to ensure the Justice Department would protect their privacy.

The Justice Department said in the letter that the takedowns were “temporary” while the documents were reviewed for additional redactions.

It added that in recent days, following the documents’ release, victims of Epstein and their counsels had identified new names and identifiers for redaction “that were not identified prior to publication.”

“Additionally, many of the documents flagged by victims and victim counsel for further review were not necessarily identifying of a particular victim based on the face of the document, itself, and were not obviously sensitive in nature,” the letter said.

The letter said these documents would be further redacted and then reposted. It requested the judges to “not take any further protective measures” while the department is reviewing the documents.

The DOJ’s letter comes days after the Justice Department, on January 31, released 3 million Epstein-related files to the public. The latest tranche of files included big names from the tech and business spheres, such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Reid Hoffman.

In the court filing, the Justice Department said the hiccups could be attributed to the sheer volume of records “from multiple offices and investigations spanning over twenty years” it needed to prepare for public release following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, as well as the “technical capabilities of the document management systems” and “human error.”

A Justice Department spokesperson told Business Insider that it “takes victim protection very seriously.”

“The Department had 500 reviewers looking at millions of pages for this very reason, to meet the requirements of the act while protecting victims,” the spokesperson said. “When a victim’s name is alleged to be unredacted, our team is working around the clock to fix the issue and republish appropriately redacted pages as soon as possible.”




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Fed meeting updates: Powell to announce interest rates as DOJ probe looms

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It’s the first Fed day of 2026, and Chair Jerome Powell is in the hot seat.

Central bank leaders will announce their January interest rate decision at 2 p.m. ET. The meeting follows weeks of political pressure from the Trump administration and a recently announced Department of Justice probe.

Business Insider will be covering projections from economists, the Fed decision, and market moves all day. Check back here for updates.




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A peek inside the Fed’s renovations that are now at the center of a DOJ probe

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  • The Federal Reserve’s renovation project was expected to cost $1.9 billion. It now has a $2.5 billion price tag.
  • Lead paint and asbestos discoveries contributed to increased renovation expenses and delays.
  • Fed chairman Jerome Powell said a new DOJ probe is part of ongoing pressure from the Trump administration.

The Federal Reserve’s planned five-year renovation project is causing quite the stir in Washington.

Renovations began around 2022 on two Federal Reserve offices, the Marriner S. Eccles Building and the Federal Reserve Bank of East Building, which were first assembled in the 1930s, according to plans reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission in 2021.

As workers gutted the aging structures, they uncovered lead paint and asbestos, pushing the cost of the renovations rose from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion, as Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell described in a letter defending the renovation’s budget last year.

President Donald Trump has blamed the overruns on mismanagement and allegations of luxury additions. On Sunday, Kevin Hassett, director of the administration’s National Economic Council, told ABC’s This Week that the project became “the most expensive project in D.C. history.”

Later that day, Powell revealed the central bank now faces a potential Department of Justice investigation, and he’s facing a potential criminal indictment over the cost increases.

“No one — certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve — is above the law,” Powell responded in a two-minute social media video. “But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”

As questions swirl around the renovations, Business Insider gathered images of the construction, floor plans for the renovations, and design mock-ups.

The Eccles and FRB-East buildings have been wrapped in scaffolding and cranes since 2022.

The Federal Reserve has been renovating its two buildings since 2022. The project is expected to wrap up by late 2027.

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Construction workers broke ground on the renovations in 2022 on the 93- and 88-year-old buildings.

The Fed said the building has not had a modernization project in decades. A series of decades-old electrical, heating, plumbing, and air ventilation systems ran through the historic building.

The project was necessary to “address a critical backlog of upgrades, to respond to changes in building codes and regulatory requirements, and to meet requirements for information technology, building security, environmental sustainability, and energy efficiency,” according to plans produced by the Fed and released to the public in 2021.

Documents show the Fed’s proposed floor plans for both buildings.


A floor plan of both Federal Reserve buildings

The Federal Reserve’s modernization plans were mapped out in an exhaustive 87-page document, released in 2021. The document includes floor plans, mock-ups, and explanations of landscaping decisions.


Federal Reserve Board and Fortus

The Federal Reserve published floor plans for the expansion project in 2021. The plans plot out details like where new windows would be erected, why new shrubbery would be planted in specific areas on the lawn, how it would make offices more wheelchair accessible, and where historic marble will be reused.

Since the release of the plans, construction workers have uncovered asbestos and lead paint, resulting in higher-than-expected material requirements. Inflation has also increased the price of those goods.

A mock-up of the exterior, including plans to add some glass structures.


A mock-up of the exterior of the Fed building.

The Fed’s renovation plans include new glasswork that will surround the historic, stone elements of the building.


Federal Reserve Board and Fortus

The modernization project would expand some sections of the Fed buildings, including areas with new glass-covered atriums.

The Eccles building’s courtyard will be converted into an atrium.


A mock-up view from the second floor in the Eccles Atrium

The main building’s atrium is intended to mix “historically significant spaces and work space to balance preservation and modern office needs.”


Federal Reserve Board and Fortus

The courtyard at the center of the central bank’s main building would become a glass-enclosed atrium. The renovation would also include new accessible ramps, and the existing wooden oak doors would be stained a medium brown.

Both historic buildings’ interiors were finished with hand-carved wood in the 1930s. The woodwork will remain intact after the renovation.


Inside the renovated Eccles Building Level 4 Lounge

The renovation is designed to preserve historic architectural elements while updating the decades-old structure underneath. Here is an example of a fourth-floor lounge featuring salvaged woodwork and a marble floor.


Federal Reserve Board and Fortus

Much of the project is dedicated to balancing “preservation and modern office needs,” according to the plans. Several office spaces plan to reuse marble and wood from the original buildings.

The Eccles building’s center wing skylight would be moved to the fourth floor to let the light stream in.


A peaked natural light shaft with bronze beams lets light strem into the fourth floor.

The natural light shaft, which was constructed in 1977, is also getting an update that the Fed said would introduce more natural light to the fourth floor.


Federal Reserve Board and Fortus

A natural light shaft, shown above, has sat on the top of the building since 1977. The renovation would relocate the glass casing to the fourth floor, allowing more light to enter nearby offices.

The core architectural details of each building are important to preserve, the Fed said. It can help project financial power.


A statue of a bald eagle perched on top of the Eccles building.

The project is meant to update the building’s office capacity while maintaining its key architectural details, like the bald eagle perched atop the entrance.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Eccles building was designed to project stability during the Great Depression, with marble halls and bronze fixtures meant to inspire public confidence in the banking system. Those original details are being carefully restored, the Fed said in the plans.

White House officials have alleged the renovations include new VIP dining rooms and elevators, a vegetated roof, and millions of dollars in new marble. The Fed has denied those allegations in press releases.

The Eccles building has been in disrepair, the Fed says.


Ornate wood that was hand-crafted during the building's construction in the 1930s shows water damage

The Fed’s ornate architecture has endured nearly nine decades of wear, including water damage on the historic wood moldings, shown above.

ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Water damage has been an issue for the historic buildings, according to images produced by Getty photographers in a July 2025 walk-through of the construction. Pictures of the historic building’s lobby show extensive damage to ornate wood carvings.

Asbestos and lead paint have been a costly issue. Inflation hasn’t helped either.


Tarp is wrapped over sections of the Fed building where asbestos was found

Workers have been clearing asbestos from the building for much of the past decade. This picture, taken in 2017, shows a construction site inside the Eccles building where workers found the dangerous material.


Federal Reserve

The Fed said it needed to make renovations to make its offices “safe, healthy, and effective places to work,” according to the Federal Reserve’s plans. For years, workers have uncovered asbestos throughout the historic buildings — a material now banned in most construction in the US.

As the project continues, more materials have had to be replaced than expected. Construction-sector inflation has made the overruns steeper.

Trump has seen the renovation project up close.


President Donald Trump and Chair Jerome Powell toured the Fed building in July 2025.

President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tour the Eccles Building during its renovation.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Reuters

In July 2025, Trump toured the renovation project with Powell and Republican Sen. Tim Scott.

During a brief interview with reporters, Trump and Powell sparred over the cost of recent construction projects in the building.

The building is expected to be completed in late 2027.


A mock-up of the exterior lighting on the Eccles Building

Plans include new lighting to highlight the building’s historic features.


Federal Reserve Board and Fortus

This year, Fed press releases suggested construction workers would leave the building in the fall of 2027. Employees who have been working at temporary offices are expected to move in during the first quarter of 2028, if plans proceed accordingly.

Once staffers return to the office, the Fed said its new campus would save money.

“Over time, the Board has needed to lease space in several commercial office buildings to support its operations,” the Fed said in a July 2025 press release. “This project allows the Board to consolidate its operations and reduce expenses on leased space elsewhere.”




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Powell says the Fed received DOJ subpoenas

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank was served grand jury subpoenas on Friday from the Department of Justice that threatened criminal indictment.

In a statement on Sunday night, Powell said the subpoenas focused on his June testimony about renovations at historic Fed office buildings. The Fed chair said the subpoenas were the latest move in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on the central bank to lower interest rates.

“No one — certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve — is above the law,” Powell said. “But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”

He added: “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”

Powell also suggested that this latest threat won’t lead to his departure from his position, which President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for. Powell said he would continue to do his job.

The dollar and US stock futures fell on concerns about the Fed’s independence on Sunday. Gold, seen as a haven investment, rose as much as 2%.

The $2.5 billion planned headquarters renovations have become a major talking point for White House officials, who have accused Powell of overspending and breaking oversight laws.

In July, Trump said that Powell’s actions were “sort of” grounds for dismissal but later said he was “highly unlikely” to fire Powell, unless it was for “fraud.” Powell has defended the renovations.

Trump has urged the Federal Reserve — an independent government agency — to lower interest rates as part of his plan to spur the American economy.

In its December meeting, the Fed cut rates to a range of 3.5%—3.75%, following similar reductions in September and October. After the meeting, Trump called Fed Chair Jerome Powell “a stiff” who approved a “rather small” cut and said the cut could have been “at least doubled.”

The president has also targeted Lisa Cook, a Fed governor. In August, he asked her to resign immediately due to allegations that Cook had committed illicit activity related to two mortgage loans. In September, a federal judge ruled that Cook can keep her job at the central bank for now.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House referred Business Insider to the DOJ.




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Epstein files live updates: DOJ releases new documents — here’s what we’re seeing so far

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New Epstein files released — Here’s the latest

The Justice Department has officially released documents on Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier who killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in 2019.

Friday’s disclosure is the first of what are expected to be several rounds of document releases over the coming weeks as the DOJ scrambles to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November.

The documents contain a trove of photos, some of which feature famous names such as former President Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and singer Diana Ross.

While a past relationship with Epstein is no indication of wrongdoing, his victims and other members of the public have pushed for the disclosure in hopes that the DOJ’s records might shed light on those connections and law enforcement’s handling of the case.

So what else do the latest Epstein files contain? Business Insider reporters have begun looking through the documents and photos and we’ll be reporting out highlights as they’re discovered.

Follow along for the latest:




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