The US Department of Justice has begun releasing the long-awaited “files” after months of intense political confrontation with Democrats and parts of the Republican party, as well as the public, over repeated attempts by the government to avoid any detailed scrutiny of its dealings with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The release follows Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch’s statement that some of the records may be temporarily withheld because of the need to protect victims, but also because the department has failed to take the necessary steps to make all records immediately available by a congressional deadline.
The website hosting the documents — which the Justice Department calls the “complete Epstein library” — has added a warning about what they say:
“In view of the deadline set by Congress, all reasonable efforts were made to control and conceal personal data concerning victims, other private individuals, and to protect sensitive material from disclosure. However, due to the vast amount of information, the website may inadvertently include non-public personal data or other sensitive content, including sexual matters.”
“I expect we will release more documents in the coming weeks,” Blanch added in his remarks before the release process began.
Reactions from Democrats on the delay
House Democrats, led by Reps. Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, condemned the Trump administration’s delay in releasing the entire dossier, saying it violated federal law and saying they would consider legal action.
The scandal has dominated political life in Washington for months as, in addition to the open spat between Trump and Democrats, the administration’s delay in releasing them has divided President Trump’s conservative base and sparked accusations of an attempted “cover-up” from across the political spectrum.
What to expect from the documents
At the center of interest are documents and other evidence related to Trump’s relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. Trump and Epstein have been close friends for a number of years, but as is known, their relationship was abruptly cut off.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the revelations and investigations so far into Epstein’s actions, but questions remain about how, when and why his relationship with Epstein was terminated, as well as what he knew about his actions. Trump and his associates deny any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities, and to date no evidence has emerged to show that he was involved in the trafficking ring.
What is certain is that the documents that are published will contain quite a lot of shocking information about Epstein’s actions, and the Department of Justice’s other warning on the page states that: “Some of the contents of the library include descriptions of sexual abuse. Therefore, readers should be aware that some sections may not be suitable for everyone.”
For now, from a first look at the newly released documents, what stands out is the volume of photos in which former President Bill Clinton appears. In one of them she appears in a swimming pool with Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and in another in a jacuzzi with another woman whose face is covered. In the published package there are thousands of photos in which, in addition to Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Richard Branson and many others appear. Most of the photos that have been published so far do not attest to the involvement of those depicted in criminal acts, nor are they proof that they were aware of Epstein’s activities.
White House intervention after the release
After the release of the new set of documents from Epstein’s file, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson claimed in a statement that “the Trump administration is the most transparent in history.” In fact, setting the tone for how the Trump administration is trying to instrumentalize these documents, the relevant announcement emphasized that: “With President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democratic friends, the administration has done more for the victims than the Democrats ever did. And while President Trump is making good on his promises, Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Stacey Plaskett have yet to explain why they sought money and meetings from Epstein, even after he was convicted.”
