Alan Dershowitz said he wants to publish “important” files related to Jeffrey Epstein — the dead sex criminal whose case remains a lightning rod — but claims judicial seals are blocking him from doing so.
Appearing on the same show moments earlier, Mike Nellis, described as a “social impact entrepreneur” and former advisor to Kamala Harris, pushed back on Dershowitz’s claims.
He said the files Dershowitz controls “represent about 3% of what would be considered the Epstein files” and argued that the Justice Department and the White House could “end this at any time” by releasing the far larger tranche of materials.
Dershowitz rejected that assertion. “No, they can’t,” he said.
“It’ll never end as long as judges are sealing depositions,” he argued. “I know what’s in those documents! I know something you don’t know! I know what’s in those documents. That’s why it’s so important to get these judicial documents out there, if the judge will give me permission.”
The former Harvard law professor represented Epstein, and as such the attorney-client privilege would still apply to their communications even after Epstein’s death — meaning Dershowitz’s ability to waive disclosure is highly constrained.
Yet the broader context has shifted this week: newly released emails tied to Epstein show him making pointed comments about former President Donald Trump, and an additional tranche of around 20,000 pages of estate records from Epstein was released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The committee’s press release described them as coming from the Epstein estate.
Among the newly published emails: in one from April 2, 2011, Epstein told his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell that “that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump … [victim] spent hours at my house with him” — the “dog” reference implying Trump had not yet been questioned.
In another from December 2018, Epstein wrote that Trump was “borderline insane. Dersh, a few feet further from the border but not by much.”
And in one from February 1, 2019, he asserted: “Trump knew of it. and came to my house many times during that period … He never got a massage.”
The White House accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to “create a fake narrative” against Trump.
Meanwhile, Dershowitz said the problem isn’t the administration — it’s the courts. “It’s not the White House that’s keeping a lot of the most important material out,” he said. “It’s judges — three federal judges in New York have sealed depositions. I want those depositions out there!”
During the broadcast, he added: “I know what’s in those documents!” He called for the judicial restraints to be lifted so the fuller story can emerge.
While the Oversight Committee has released tens of thousands of pages of documents, legal experts note that many of the filings are already publicly available and heavily redacted.
At the same time, a bipartisan petition is moving through Congress aimed at forcing the Department of Justice to disclose all remaining files tied to Epstein.
The entire dynamic remains politically charged. Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, though the newly released materials raise questions about how closely the two men stayed in touch, and what knowledge Trump may have had of Epstein’s activities.
The legal and ethical boundaries of attorney-client privilege, sealed court filings, and public accountability are all colliding in this case.
