The US Department of Justice released thousands of files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, a release long overdue for its potential to reveal new details about the late financier guilty of sex crimes and his ties to powerful figures.
However, it quickly became clear after the release that it would fall far short of expectations. The partial release infuriated Democrats, who accused the Trump administration of trying to hide information. The Justice Department said it would continue to release documents in the coming weeks.
The trove of files – dominated by photographs, but also including call logs, court documents and other documents, many of them with omissions – comes after politicians and the public campaigned massively for transparency on government investigations into the wealthy financier.
Trump succumbed to political pressure to release documents
President Donald Trump, who was Epstein’s friend for years before the two fell out, tried for months to keep the documents secret. Although he has not been accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, he has argued that there is nothing to see in the files and that the public should focus on other matters.
On 19 November, yielding to political pressure from his Republican colleagues, he signed a bill mandating the release of most Justice Department files on Epstein within 30 days. The White House said Friday’s release of the files shows the administration is the “most transparent in history”.
The law signed by Trump last month set Friday as the deadline for the Justice Department to release most of its files on Epstein.
Before the release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News he expected several hundred thousand files to be released on Friday, along with hundreds of thousands more coming later.
But the number of files that actually landed on the Justice Department’s website appeared to be a fraction of the expected total. Blanche admitted in a letter to Congress that the production of the files was incomplete. The department said it expected the production of the Epstein documents to be completed by the end of the year.
What’s in the files released by the US Department of Justice
Here are some key points about the Justice Department’s initial file release initiative: it includes thousands of photos, but far fewer files than expected.
Among the documents made public are about 4,000 files – mostly photographs – under a subsection the Justice Department described as “DOJ Disclosures”. The vast majority of the photographs were taken by the FBI during searches of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the US Virgin Islands.
Also included are images of envelopes, folders and boxes containing investigative material from various investigations related to Epstein. Many documents are blacked out, and anything that contains personally identifying information about a victim, including materials depicting sexual and physical abuse, is not authorised for publication.
Several other files released Friday by the Justice Department include court documents, public records, and disclosures to House committees. At least some of that material has already circulated in the public domain after years of legal action and investigation.
Bill Clinton and high-profile figures in released documents
Several photographs show former President Bill Clinton who has admitted to travelling on Epstein’s private jet, but stated through a spokesman that he had no knowledge of the late financier’s crimes.
Some photos show Clinton on a private plane, including one with a woman sitting next to him with her arm around him. The woman’s face is obscured in the photo.
Another photo shows him in a swimming pool with British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of luring young girls for Epstein so he could molest them, and with another person whose face is obscured. One shows him with the late pop star Michael Jackson, singer Diana Ross and a woman whose face is obscured.
And another shows Clinton in a hot tub with a woman whose face is obscured. The Justice Department did not explain how these photos were related to the criminal investigation.
Nevertheless, senior White House aides immediately drew attention to them on X. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, wrote “Oh my!” and added the emoji of a shocked smiley face in response to the photo of Clinton in the hot tub.
Angel Ureña, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, said in a post on X that “this is not about Bill Clinton” and accused the White House of trying to protect others. “There are two types of people here,” he wrote. “The first group knew nothing and severed relations with Epstein before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relations with him afterwards. We are part of the first one.”
Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of someone’s name or pictures in the investigation files does not imply otherwise.
No new photos or revelations about Donald Trump
No new revelations about Trump or others. For some who examined the records released on Friday, the most interesting parts were those in which high-profile figures appeared minimally or not at all.
For example, Trump is mentioned minimally in the files, and the small number of photos of him have been in the public domain for decades. The president made no reference to the initial release of the documents during a rally Friday night in North Carolina.
The release includes at least one photo of former Prince Andrew, who appears in a dinner jacket lying on the lap of what appear to be several seated women dressed in formal attire.
Deceased accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged that Epstein arranged sexual encounters for her with men, including the prince.
Marina Lacerda, one of the women who claims to have survived sexual assaults by Epstein starting when she was 14, said Friday she wanted more transparency from the Justice Department and expressed frustration with the omissions and incomplete release. “Just release the files,” she said. “And stop blacking out names that don’t need to be blacked out.”
Political reactions and controversy over the partial release of the files
The partial release displeases some lawmakers. Several parliamentarians criticised the Trump administration for not producing all the documents required by law.
Representatives Ro Khanna (Democrat, California) and Thomas Massie (Republican, Kentucky) had introduced what is known as a ‘discharge petition’, which eventually led to the congressional vote that forced the release of the Epstein files. On Friday, both used social media to criticise the partial release.
Massie wrote that it “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law”. Khanna called the release so far “disappointing”. “We will press for the real documents,” he declared.
Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat, Oregon) said that by ignoring the deadline, the administration is denying justice to Epstein’s victims. He added that he is ‘exploring all avenues and legal means to obtain justice for the victims and transparency for the American people’.
If Democratic lawmakers wanted to, they could go to court to force the Justice Department to comply with the law, but it would almost certainly be a lengthy process that would take place while the department releases more files.
Separately, the House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena for Epstein’s files. This could give Congress another avenue to force the release of more information to the committee, but would require Republicans to join them in contempt proceedings against a Republican administration.
