Release of Epstein files in US spotlights Clinton, but makes little reference to Trump | World

The lack of references to Trump was notable, given that photos and documents relating to him had circulated for years in Epstein’s previous articles. Trump’s name appeared on flight manifests listing passengers on Epstein’s private plane that were part of an initial batch of Epstein documents released by the Justice Department in February, for example.

The release also contained other noteworthy material, including a complaint accusing Epstein of involvement in “child pornography” filed with the FBI in 1996, well before law enforcement began investigating him.

Maria Farmer, who filed the complaint, said in a statement that the FBI had not followed up on her allegations. “This is a moment I’ve waited three decades for, more than half my life. When I was ignored and arrested by the FBI in 1996, my world turned upside down and I felt frozen in time,” Farmer said.

Celebrities featured in photos released as part of Friday’s release include the late news anchor Walter Cronkite, singers Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, British businessman Richard Branson and the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Many of the photos were undated and provided without context, and none of these figures were accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

The partial release of the documents Friday was intended to comply with a law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in November that required the release of all Epstein files, despite Trump’s months-long effort to keep them sealed.

The scandal surrounding Epstein has become a self-inflicted political wound for Trump, who for years promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein among his supporters.

It was not immediately clear how substantial these new documents were, as many documents related to Epstein had already been made public since his death in prison in 2019, which was ruled a suicide.

Many of the records were heavily redacted — several documents measuring 100 pages or more were completely blacked out — and the Justice Department acknowledged that it was still reviewing hundreds of thousands of additional pages for possible release.

The material includes evidence from multiple investigations into Epstein, as well as photos of Clinton, long despised by Republicans. But it appears to include few if any photos of Trump or documents mentioning him, despite Trump and Epstein’s highly publicized friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s, before they fell out before Epstein’s first conviction in 2008.

Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

“It’s not about Bill Clinton.”

The Justice Department sought to focus attention on Clinton, with two spokespeople posting images on social media that they said showed him with Epstein victims.

Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena, said in a statement that the White House was trying to “protect itself” by focusing on the former president.

“They can post as many grainy photos from 20+ years ago as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton,” Urena wrote.

Last month, Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate Clinton’s ties to Epstein, which critics saw as an attempt to distract from his own relationship with Epstein.

In footage released Friday, Clinton can be seen in a swimming pool with someone whose face is blackened. In another image, he can be seen in a hot tub with what appears to be another person whose face is blackened. Clinton previously regretted meeting with Epstein and said she was unaware of any criminal activity.

There are more than 1,200 victims or their loved ones whose names should be removed from the records, Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a letter to Congress.

In a statement, the White House said the release demonstrated its transparency and commitment to justice for Epstein’s victims, criticizing previous Democratic administrations for failing to do the same.

But the statement ignores the fact that the revelations occurred only because Congress forced the government’s hand, after Trump officials said earlier this year that no further Epstein files would be made public.

Some lawmakers immediately criticized the government for not releasing all the records.

“This set of heavily redacted documents released today by the Justice Department represents only a fraction of the total evidence,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the driving forces behind the legislation, said on X that Friday’s release “absolutely fails to comply with the spirit and letter of the law.”

The disclosure law requires the Justice Department to provide information about its handling of the Epstein investigation, including internal reports and emails. None of these documents appeared to be included in the batch of documents released by the government on Friday.

The law allows the Justice Department to withhold personal information about Epstein’s victims, as well as material that could compromise an active investigation.

Frustrated Trump voters

Many Trump voters have accused his administration of covering up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and withholding details about his death in a Manhattan jail, where he was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking and abusing underage girls.

According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 44% of U.S. adults who identify as Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein issue, compared to his 82% overall approval rating among the group. The issue has damaged Trump’s political standing heading into the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.

Last month, House Democrats released thousands of emails from Epstein’s estate, including one in which Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls” without clarifying what that meant. Trump, in response, accused Democrats of promoting the case as a red herring.

House Republicans released other emails that same day, including one saying Trump had visited Epstein’s home several times but “never received a massage.”

Previous revelations revealed that even after his conviction in 2008, Epstein continued to correspond with high-profile figures, including former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, former Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, PayPal founder Peter Thiel and Britain’s former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he was stripped of his royal title due to his ties to Epstein.

Representatives for Bannon, Thiel and Mountbatten-Windsor declined to comment.

JPMorgan paid $290 million to some of Epstein’s victims in 2023 to settle allegations that she neglected their sex trafficking. The bank kept Epstein as a client for five years after he was convicted of solicitation of a minor in 2008.

Reporting by Brad Heath, Sarah N. Lynch, Joseph Ax and Andy Sullivan