The US DOJ released the first batch of Jeffrey Epstein case files, featuring photos of celebrities and politicians but with extensive redactions.
WASHINGTON: The United States Department of Justice has released the first batch of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The release follows months of pressure on the Trump administration for transparency regarding the politically explosive case.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated several hundred thousand documents would be released, with several hundred thousand more to follow in coming weeks.
The initial tranche totalled approximately 3,900 files, though many appear to have been previously revealed.
The documents are heavily redacted, drawing immediate criticism from lawmakers.
They include four groups: court records, DOJ disclosures, freedom of information requests, and disclosures from a US House oversight committee.
The files feature numerous previously unseen photographs of high-profile figures.
These include former president Bill Clinton, pop stars Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, and British tycoon Richard Branson.
One image shows Clinton reclining in a hot tub with another person whose face is obscured.
Other featured individuals are the former Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and actor Kevin Spacey.
The release also contains video clips from inside the New York correctional centre from the day Epstein died by suicide in 2019.
Many documents show little due to extensive blacking out of information.
For example, a list of 254 masseuses is entirely redacted, and 119 pages of one document are completely blacked out.
One file contains dozens of censored images showing naked or scantily clad figures.
Others show Epstein and companions, their faces obscured, with firearms.
The expectation is the files will shed light on Epstein’s network of associates, including business executives, academics, and politicians like President Donald Trump.
Trump was a friend of Epstein but severed ties years before the financier’s 2019 arrest.
It remains unclear how much the Justice Department, which controls the release, will ultimately make public.
Reactions in Washington were largely partisan following the document drop.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X about the Clinton appearances, writing “Slick Willy! @BillClinton just chillin, without a care in the world.”
The White House touted the release as a show of transparency.
Top Democratic senator Chuck Schumer complained the heavily redacted release violated the spirit of transparency.
“Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” Schumer said.
Some Republican dissent emerged, with lawmaker Thomas Massie accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi of “withholding specific documents.”
Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene stated, “The whole point was NOT to protect the ‘politically exposed individuals and government officials’.”
