India, Dec. 20 -- The US Department of Justice announced it will release only a portion of its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein this week. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News that the department plans to release several hundred thousand documents in phases.

"There's a lot of eyes looking at these, and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim," Blanche said.

The decision has prompted swift rebuke on Capitol Hill.

Representatives Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement: "We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law."

They ad...