The Justice Department faced scrutiny over the weekend over the initial release of records related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender, even as it prepared to make more material from the investigation public.
Some victims and advocates criticized the batch of documents released by the Justice Department on Friday (19), arguing that it was heavily censored and contained few revelations.
Some lawmakers said the department’s failure to meet the 30-day deadline to release all records, imposed by Congress last month, meant the Trump administration had failed to follow the law.
After they were first released, the department deleted a small number of photographs taken inside Epstein’s home. Among them was one that showed a buffet with several photos, including at least one of Donald Trump, raising questions about whether the government was trying to protect the president. This image was later republished by the department.
The release of the files had long been anticipated by those who believed the documents could shed light on Epstein’s activities and his ties to prominent and powerful men. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while facing federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.
The Justice Department said more documents would be released in the coming weeks, consistent with a bipartisan law that requires the entire investigation file, with few exceptions, to be made public by the end of last week.
Here are the key points to highlight regarding the initial launch.
The Justice Department said it would not remove mentions of Trump
Todd Blanche, deputy chief of staff, said Sunday that the Justice Department was trying to comply with the law requiring the release of records, but that it was an enormous task that had to be done carefully to protect victims.
“We’re talking about a million pages of documents — virtually all of them have information about the victims,” Blanche said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He said the administration would not remove any mention of Trump from the records because they will continue to be released in the coming weeks. “We are not hiding any information about President Trump,” Blanche said.
On Sunday, the Justice Department republished the since-deleted image of the buffet in Epstein’s home that contained Trump’s photo.
“Upon review, it was determined that there was no evidence that Epstein victims were depicted in the photograph, and it has been republished without any changes or omissions,” the Justice Department said in a statement posted on social media.
Some lawmakers expressed frustration
Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, who helped write the Epstein records legislation, said government officials were “disregarding the spirit and letter of the law.” Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, he cited the numerous censored portions and the government’s refusal to release all files Friday.
Speaking about Epstein’s victims, Massie said he believes “the quickest way to get justice for these victims is to introduce a resolution that indicts Pam Bondi, the attorney general, for criminal contempt.” Massie said he and bill co-author Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, were drafting the resolution.
Either house of Congress can vote to find a person or authority in contempt by a simple majority. Massie said he and Khanna were drafting a resolution that would fine Bondi “for each day she fails to disclose these documents.”
The documents brought no major revelations
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 didn’t provide much additional information about Epstein’s ties to wealthy and powerful businessmen and politicians who associated with him.
The documents came primarily from investigations into Epstein, dating back to an initial investigation by police in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2005. There were also records from a later investigation by federal prosecutors in Florida, which ended in 2008 with a plea deal, and a final investigation by Manhattan prosecutors in 2019, which never came to fruition, after Epstein died in prison while the case was still ongoing, in a case where the coroner concluded it was suicide.
Many documents, including phone records, travel diaries and what appeared to be interview documents featuring some of Epstein’s female victims, were heavily censored.
The reaction from the right was discreet
Right-wing Trump supporters have traditionally 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 — most of them Democrats, they say — colluded with Epstein to abuse young women and cover up his crimes.
But these same supporters remained largely silent when the files were made public, perhaps in response to the lack of new incriminating information. Trump on Friday and throughout the weekend refrained from commenting on the release of these documents, even though the matter has haunted him politically.
It remains to be seen whether those who have developed elaborate conspiracy theories around Epstein and the government’s handling of the investigation will be satisfied with the information released by the Justice Department.
Bill Clinton played a leading role
Whether by design or by chance, many of the photographs included in the archive were of one of Trump’s most prominent political adversaries: former President Bill Clinton.
One of the images 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 identified. The files provided little to no context for the images.
The Clinton photos were released after Trump last month ordered the Justice Department to investigate any links the former president and other Democrats had to Epstein. Bondi immediately complied with Trump’s instructions, ordering Manhattan federal prosecutor Jay Clayton to take over the case.
A Clinton spokesperson suggested 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 Friday evening to protect Bill Clinton,” said spokesperson Angel Urena. “It’s about protecting yourself from what happens or what they will try to hide forever.”
There were few mentions of Trump
For months, Trump actively fought against the release of the Epstein files, calling them a “hoax” by Democrats and threatening to punish members of Congress who voted to release them.
But his name was rarely mentioned in the documents released Friday. It is unclear, however, whether it will feature more prominently in the files that have not yet been released and whether the Justice Department selected the first batch for political motivations.
Trump and Epstein have been close friends for years, and the president’s initial reluctance to release the files sparked speculation about whether he figured prominently in them.
Most of the photos of Trump released Friday had already been made public, including images of him and his wife, Melania, with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving time in federal prison for helping Epstein traffic underage girls.
Written references to Donald Trump were found in Epstein’s address book and flight logs, as well as a message book in which Epstein’s aides informed him of missed calls. Versions of these documents were already public.
Trump’s name also appears in interviews with Maxwell, transcripts that the Justice Department had already made public and republished Friday.
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