The US Department of Justice on Friday (local time) released parts of Epstein’s files, which contain thousands of documents, including photos of the infamous financier’s longtime partner and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as notable figures such as Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Clinton, Sarah Ferguson, Mick Jagger and others.
The files have been heavily redacted to protect the identities of the victims amid the ongoing investigation. They were released to the public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Read also | Jeffrey Epstein files related to sex-trafficking investigation released by Justice Department
However, despite the 30-day deadline the Justice Department was given, it said not all of the documents would be released today.
According to a CNN report, officials at the Justice Department are frustrated with the speed at which they have to process the files.
Non-uniform editorial
CNN reported that there were inconsistent redactions in the Epstein files released Friday.
In some cases, photos of individuals have been blacked out to protect their identities, but other photos show the same person without their faces being hidden.
For example, in one instance of a man lying on top of Ghislaine Maxwell, his face was obscured, but in other photos the same person’s face is exposed, CNN reported.
The Trump administration claims credit
The Justice Department briefed the White House on the contents of the Epstein files, which were released Friday, but did not receive the materials before they were released.
Not long after the release, a White House spokesman said the Trump administration was “the most transparent in history.”
Spox also pointed out that Trump has called for an investigation into Democrats who have been linked to Epstein.
Read also | The Epstein files released by the DOJ include court documents, call logs, prison cell videos
Trump himself has not yet commented on the newly published documents.
Epstein threatened to burn down the victim’s house
In one of the published documents Esptein threatened to burn down the victim’s house if she revealed to the public that he had stolen pictures of her underage sisters taken at a swimming pool in September 1996.
Maria Farmer, the woman in question who filed a complaint with the FBI about his interest in “child pornography,” has said for years that the federal agency never publicly acknowledged her report.
“I’ve waited 30 years,” she said, according to the New York Times, adding, “I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
MAGA highlights Bill Clinton
While US President Donald Trump was notably absent from the recently released files, a number of images of former Democratic President Bill Clinton were present.
The MAGA camp seized the opportunity, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Trump adviser Steven Cheung sharing the same posts on social media.
In a statement, Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña criticized the continued references to the former president, saying the investigation “is not about Bill Clinton.”
“There are two types of people here,” he said, according to the Associated Press, adding, “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued to have relationships afterward. We’re in the first. No amount of delay by people in the second group will change that.”
