WASHINGTON, Dec 20 – The US Justice Department has released some of the so-called Epstein files – the long-awaited documents related to its investigations into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Justice Department faced a legal deadline to release the files by Friday, following months of pressure on Trump from both inside and outside his party – A number of famous faces are pictured – including former US President Bill Clinton, and musicians Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.
Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing. Many of those identified in other releases have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Todd Blanche, Deputy US Attorney General, says they identified more than 1,200 Epstein victims or their relatives and withheld material that could identify them.
Photos released include the interiors of Epstein’s homes, his overseas travels, as well as celebrities, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Peter Mandelson – being included in the images does not imply any wrongdoing.
Bill Clinton also appears in photos in a pool and a hot tub. This has reignited speculation about the nature of his relationship with Epstein – Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and says he knows “nothing about the terrible crimes”
There is very few references to Donald Trump, who was friends with Epstein throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s before they fell out. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Democrats say that the fact this is not a full release of the files violates the law, accusing the administration of continuing a “pattern of protecting President Trump” at the expense of Epstein’s survivors.
Republican Rep Thomas Massie says the release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law”. The White House says the Trump administration is “the most transparent in history”
The documents contain redactions – and some may not be made public if they relate to an active criminal investigation, identify victims, or contain images of abuse.
A spokesman for Bill Clinton has just commented on the photos released by the justice department earlier today, some of which feature the former US president.
“They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” Angel Ureña writes on social media.
“There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.”
He adds: “Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.”
The images released earlier include an image of Clinton swimming in a pool, and another showing him lying on his back with his hands behind his head in what appears to be a hot tub.
Clinton was photographed with Epstein several times over the 1990s and early 2000s, before the disgraced financier was first arrested. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.
In 2019, a spokesperson said he knows “nothing about the terrible crimes” Epstein pleaded guilty to.
