Epstein files have finally been released but it's sparked a major controversy

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has released some of its files on Jeffrey Epstein after Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law.

The countdown for the Justice Department officially began on November 19, when Trump signed the legislation ordering the department to release all of its documents from the investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in prison while awaiting trial in August 2019.

The legislation stated that the department had 30 days to release the documents, but the department took it down to the wire.

As the clock ticked, the House Oversight Committee continued to urge the department to release its documents by sharing its own information about Epstein, including photos from his estate.

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have supported the release of the files (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The files have now been released and can be accessed on a dedicated page of the US Department of Justice website, via four separate links. Each of the links appears to contain a vast amount of documents to look through.

Prior to today's (December 19) release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox & Friends that the department expects to publish 'several hundred thousand pages', followed by more in the coming weeks.

But the fact that the DOJ has not released all the files has caused some controversy, with Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden dubbing the move as 'an insult to the intelligence of the American people'.

After sharing 19 photos earlier in December, Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, commented: "We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW."

Meanwhile, Trump has expressed his hope that the release of the documents would reveal 'the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein'.

After signing the legislation, he wrote on Truth Social: "I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES. This latest Hoax will backfire on the Democrats just as all of the rest have!"

Epstein was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he died (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

While the Justice Department has been urged to release 'all the files', the law does state that it could withhold some documents if they meet certain criteria.

It was granted to withhold any documents which 'would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary'. Additionally, it could hold back any details that may violate victims' privacy, or contain sensitive material on child sexual abuse.

One of the survivors, Dani Bensky, told CNN she and some other survivors were 'in the dark' when it came to the release of the files, explaining: "It’s a little bit tricky because we won’t see the files before they come. We don’t know what time they’re dropping on the 19th. We don’t know."

That being said, survivors have described feeling hopeful that the new information would help to validate their own recollections of abuse from Epstein, with all of those who spoke to CNN saying they support the release of the files. However, the survivors added that redactions should be made to protect victims.