The release of the first part of the documents highlights Clinton and makes little mention of Trump; to understand

• Context: Featuring images of political rivals and pop stars, Trump administration releases part of Epstein case documents
• Parties, models and silence: How the obsession with power, money and women brought Trump and Epstein together

The 13,000 files were mainly drawn from investigations into Epstein, dating back to an initial consultation opened by police in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005. The release was eagerly awaited by those who believed the documents could shed light on Epstein’s activities and his ties to powerful men.

1- No big reveal

The released files, which included thousands of photographs and investigative documents, contributed little to the public’s understanding of Epstein’s conduct. The documents also did not provide many additional details about the financier’s ties to businessmen and politicians associated with him.

There were also files from an investigation by federal prosecutors in Florida, which ended in 2008 with a plea deal, and a final investigation by prosecutors in Manhattan in 2019, which was never resolved, after Epstein died in prison.

Many documents, including phone records, travel diaries and what appeared to be files containing interviews with some of Epstein’s female victims, were heavily censored. One of the redacted files, totaling 119 pages and titled “Grand Jury NY,” was completely blacked out.

Traditionally, Trump supporters have been among the most ardent supporters of the release of the Epstein files. They have long been convinced that the documents contain evidence that a group of prominent men — in their telling, mostly Democrats — joined with Epstein to abuse young girls and cover up his crimes.

But these same supporters remained silent when the files were released, perhaps in response to the lack of new incriminating information. On Friday, Trump avoided commenting on the release of the documents, even though the matter haunts him politically.

3- Bill Clinton stood out

Most of the photographs included in the archive were of one of Trump’s biggest political opponents: former Democratic US President Bill Clinton. One image showed Clinton lying in a hot tub with someone whose face had been obscured. In many of Clinton’s photos, he was the only person whose identity could be recognized.

The Clinton photos were made public after Trump last month ordered the Justice Department to investigate any links between the former president, other Democrats and Epstein. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi followed Trump’s instructions by ordering Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, to take over the case.

• Look: Democrats release footage of Epstein’s Caribbean island home where sex crimes allegedly took place

Given the high prominence given to Clinton in the documents, the White House in turn attempted to politically capitalize on the release of Clinton’s photos after their release.

“Yes, we saw something,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson wrote in a social media comment above the image of Clinton in the hot tub. “It just wasn’t what you wanted.”

Angel Ureña, a Clinton spokesperson, suggested that the White House orchestrated the release of the photos to distract from Trump’s own relationship with Epstein.

“The White House did not hide these files for months only to release them on a Friday night to protect Bill Clinton,” Ureña said. — It’s about protecting yourself from what comes next, or what they will try to hide forever.

4- Few mentions of Trump

For months, Trump actively fought the release of the Epstein files, calling them a Democratic “fraud” and threatening to punish members of Congress who voted to release them publicly. But his name was rarely mentioned in the documents released Friday. It remains unclear, however, whether it will feature more in the release of future files and whether the Justice Department selected the first batch with politics in mind.

Trump and Epstein had been close friends for years, and the former president’s initial reluctance to release the records fueled speculation about whether the records set him apart.

Most of the photos of Trump released in the documents had already been made public, including images of him and his wife, Melania, with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a federal prison sentence for helping Epstein traffic minors.

Written references to Trump appeared in Epstein’s address book and flight logs, as well as in a scrapbook in which Epstein’s aides informed him of missed calls. Versions of these documents were also already public.

5- Epstein attracted powerful and famous people

The files show how Epstein attracted a remarkably wide range of people into his circle, from pop legend Michael Jackson to rock star Mick Jagger to journalist Walter Cronkite, considered America’s greatest television news anchor.

Although the documents do not suggest that these celebrities knew of or were involved in Epstein’s illicit activities, they nevertheless constitute a remarkable testimony to his ability to attract the attention of powerful people.

Before the disclosure of the files, in an interview with the American channel Fox News, prosecutor Todd Blanche admitted that the Department of Justice had not finished disclosing the files. He added that thousands more would be made public “in the coming weeks.”

• Pressure from the opposition: Democrats release photos of Epstein with Trump, Clinton and Woody Allen

Under the law — signed into law by Trump in November, which ordered the full disclosure of all unclassified documents about Epstein held by the Justice Department within 30 days, with limited exceptions — the government can withhold records identifying victims or containing images of child sexual abuse. The legislation also authorizes the Justice Department to withhold records if they are classified in some way or if they could “prejudice an active federal investigation.”