NEED TO KNOW

• Poland formed a dedicated task force and prosecutors opened a formal criminal probe into Epstein-linked recruitment of minors on Polish soil
• At least five countries have launched investigations since the January 30 DOJ file release while the US says its review is complete
• Bipartisan lawmakers accuse the Justice Department of over-redacting names of powerful figures and under-protecting victims

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — The U.S. Department of Justice released more than 3 million pages of Epstein files on Jan. 30, calling it the final disclosure under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump in November 2025. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche declared the review “complete” and signaled no further prosecutions are expected.

Foreign governments apparently disagreed with that conclusion.

Poland Treats Epstein Files as National Security Threat

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Within days of the release, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the creation of a special analytical task force to comb through every document for connections to Poland. His government framed the probe not as celebrity gossip but as a counterintelligence matter.

“We cannot allow any of the cases involving the abuse of Polish children by a network of pedophiles and the organizer of this satanic circle, Mr. Epstein, to be treated lightly or ignored.” — Donald Tusk

The files contain references to recruitment activity in Kraków, including emails from an alleged Epstein scout who claimed to have “girls” in Poland. Tusk also raised the possibility that Russian intelligence co-organized Epstein’s operation — a claim he called a grave national security concern for a frontline NATO state.

On Feb. 24, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office formalized the effort by establishing Investigation Team No. 5, assigning three senior prosecutors with experience in organized crime and human trafficking. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek chairs an inter-agency panel that includes police, intelligence services and the interior ministry.

A Growing List of Foreign Investigations

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Poland is not alone. Latvia’s State Police opened criminal proceedings into potential recruitment of Latvian nationals for sexual exploitation after the files revealed Riga was mentioned more than 800 times. Lithuanian prosecutors launched a pretrial investigation into human trafficking after President Gitanas Nausėda called for a “principled intervention.” Turkey’s Ankara prosecutors began examining claims that minors were trafficked from Turkey, with opposition lawmakers demanding a parliamentary commission.

The United Kingdom delivered the most dramatic consequences. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office — the first arrest of a senior British royal in centuries. Former politician Peter Mandelson was arrested days later. Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland faces aggravated corruption charges.

The US Response: Transparency Act, Redacted Results

Back in the country that produced the files, the picture looks different. Bipartisan lawmakers have accused the DOJ of shielding powerful individuals through inconsistent and excessive redactions.

“What I saw that bothered me were the names of at least six men that have been redacted that are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files.” — Rep. Thomas Massie

Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) — co-authors of the Transparency Act — reviewed unredacted files and publicly named six men whose identities had been blacked out. Meanwhile, an NPR investigation found that dozens of pages related to sexual abuse allegations against the president were removed or withheld from the public database.

Victims’ attorneys have been equally critical. Attorney Brad Edwards said the DOJ failed to perform basic keyword searches to protect survivor identities — while simultaneously redacting names of powerful figures who are not victims.

“All they were doing was trying to make sure that these very powerful people were redacted from the files, and they did not care about the victims at all.” — Spencer Kuvin, attorney for Epstein victims

Investigative journalist Vicky Ward, who first reported on Epstein in 2003, captured the disparity in an NPR interview: in the UK, a prince has been arrested, politicians have fallen, and criminal investigations are producing results. In the US, where the files originated, the Justice Department says the job is done.

The UN Human Rights Council weighed in this week, stating the Epstein case bears “the marks of a crime against humanity” and warrants further investigation.

If foreign governments can find actionable leads in the same documents the US released, what does it say about American institutions that no new domestic prosecutions are expected — and who decides when accountability is complete?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CBS News, NPR’s investigation into withheld files, NPR’s reporting on latest developments, official statements by the Polish Prime Minister’s Office, reporting by Notes From Poland, CNN, Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, Kyiv Post, U.S. News, LRT, and the DOJ Epstein Library.

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