Sex offender victims Jeffrey Epstein have expressed their outrage after a long-awaited set of case files against the deceased former financier was published, with many crossed out pages and censored photos. Among the material that began to be published on Friday are multiple photographs showing the former Democratic president Bill Clinton and other high-profile figures, including singers Mick Jagger y Michael Jacksonin the company of Epstein.
But a large part of the documents have large sections crossed out or with black boxes, fueling doubts about whether the publication will put an end to persistent conspiracy theories about a cover-up at the highest level. Democrats already demanded answers on Saturday after an image that included a photo of Trump will no longer be visible in the online publication of Department of Justice.
“If they take this back, imagine how much more they’re trying to hide,” the Democratic senator said. Chuck Schumer. “This could be one of the biggest cover-ups in history“. Among dozens of blacked out sections, a 119-page document labeled “Gran Jurado-NY” It was completely censored. According to US media, they withdrew more than a dozen from other images in the archives.
It could be one of the biggest cover-ups in history
The United States Department of Justice defended its decision to retract files after their publication in a statement on Saturday night. “Photos and other materials will continue to be reviewed and redacted in accordance with the law, out of an abundance of caution, as we receive additional information“, he indicated in a statement published on the social network ‘X’.
One of Epstein’s victims, Jess Michaelshas reported that he spent hours reviewing documents to find his statement and communications from when he called an FBI tip line. “I can’t find any of them”he told CNN. “Is this the best the government can do? Not even an act of Congress He’s giving us justice.”
Epstein’s intimate ties
Still, the files shed some light on the intimate ties of the discredited financier with the rich, famous and powerful. Among them is Trump, who was once one of his close friends. At least one file contains dozens of censored images of naked or scantily clad figures.
Bill Clinton, in a jacuzzi in the company of a person whose face has been covered in this photo from the files of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein released by the North American government. / The Newspaper
There are also unpublished photographs of the disgraced former British Prince Andrew which show him lying on the legs of five women. Other images show Clinton relaxing in a hot tubwith part of the photo censored, and swimming next to a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Victim privacy
Republican congressman Thomas Massiewhich has been pushing for the information to be made public for a long time about sex offenderstated that this measure “seriously fails to comply with both the spirit as the letter of the law” approved in Congress, which obliges the government to publish the entire case file except those that violate the privacy of the victims.
“Just posting a mountain of crossed out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” added Schumer, a Democrat. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Blanchetold ABC that there was no attempt “to withhold anything” to protect Trump.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, in a recent image. / Cornell Watson / Bloomberg
Trump, who was once a friend of Epstein, tried for months prevent publishing the files in the hands of the Department of Justice, despite having promised during the campaign full transparency on the subject. Finally, he bowed to pressure from Congress, including that of his Republican Party, and on November 19 he enacted a law requiring the publication of the materials in 30 days.
But its most conservative base has long been obsessed with the Epstein saga and with conspiracy theories alleging that he ran a sex trafficking ring for the global elite. Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting minors for the former banker, whose death was officially considered a suicide.
