Justice Department releases Jeffrey Epstein files, with more to come
The deadline for releasing most documents related to Jeffrey Epstein was Dec. 19, with hundreds of thousands of documents released.
- The Justice Department has released thousands of documents from the Epstein Library, including photos of former President Bill Clinton and other celebrities.
- Many of the documents released have been heavily redacted, and not all files were released by Congressional deadlines.
- Public databases of files have mostly useless search capabilities, making it difficult to find specific information.
- An inventory of Epstein’s home revealed a variety of medical supplies, including medication to treat female yeast infections.
WASHINGTON — Previously hidden photos of former President Bill Clinton and other celebrities have been discovered in the Justice Department’s coveted Epstein Library.
The December 19 release includes hundreds of thousands of documents related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
However, the search function was not extensive, making it difficult to find specific items due to the huge amount of material. There was little mention of President Donald Trump in the release.
Despite the deadline imposed by Congress, not all of the Epstein documents have been made public. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said lawyers were sifting through the documents to ensure the victims were not named or identified, and that it could take weeks to compile the remaining hundreds of thousands of pages.
But here are five takeaways as USA TODAY reporters race to review and catalog documents and photos.
Lots of edits – and inconsistent edits
Many of the documents released have been heavily redacted, limiting the amount of new information that can be gleaned after survivors have been demanding transparency for months about what the government knew about the disgraced investor and when it knew it.
The compilation also includes the entire document, which is over 100 pages long and hundreds of photos. The editing is also spotty. People whose faces have been edited in some photos, but not in others.
The Epstein File Transparency Act allows the Justice Department to withhold names of victims, depictions of child sexual abuse, and documents that could adversely affect criminal prosecution. But the article also says records cannot be withheld, delayed or edited “for reasons of embarrassment, reputational damage, or political sensitivity, including for government officials, public figures, and foreign dignitaries.”
The restrictions included documents detailing how lawyers deliberated on decisions, the work they produced within their departments, and communications between lawyers and clients.
“These privileges are based on common law, not statute, and Congress fully recognizes that,” Blanche wrote. “Although the law broadly categorizes the items that must be produced, the law does not contain language explicitly requiring the department to produce privileged materials.”
Lawmakers had already complained about the scope of the edits. The bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), warned that department officials could be prosecuted if they withhold or significantly redact the Epstein files, which must be made public under the new law.
“Let me be clear: we need a complete release,” Khanna said in a video posted to X. “Anyone who falsifies these documents, hides them, or over-edits them will be prosecuted for obstruction of justice.”
The attorney general has the power to redact or withhold information that personally identifies a victim or jeopardizes an active federal investigation, but these redactions must be accompanied by a written justification and submitted to Congress within 15 days.
Clinton, like several celebrities, appears in Epstein’s new cache of photos
Several of the newly released photos show Ms. Clinton in a bathtub with a woman whose face is obscured and with Mr. Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The photo with Maxwell was taken in Winston Churchill’s cabinet war offices in London.
Mr. Epstein’s documents have shown that Mr. Clinton was sometimes a passenger on Mr. Epstein’s private planes. He contributed to the 50th placeth 2003 birthday book.
But Clinton denied knowing anything about Epstein’s sex trafficking allegations. His spokesman, Angel Urena, said on social media that Clinton was among those who “unknowingly disposed of Epstein before his crimes were exposed.”
Celebrities such as Rolling Stones lead singer and co-songwriter Mick Jagger and famous newspaper reporter Walter Cronkite also appear in more than 1,000 photos within the release.
Jagger, Epstein, Clinton, and another man can be seen sitting around a table. Cronkite is pictured with Epstein in another photo.
Actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker are pictured with Clinton and Maxwell. Singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross also appear in separate photos with Clinton.
No celebrities have been accused of wrongdoing with Mr. Epstein.
Epstein Library’s search function is useless
Congress directed that Epstein records be made publicly searchable. This will allow the public to access vast investigative files and invoke basic queries regarding names.
However, the search yields few results. In the evening, the names “Trump” and “Clinton” are blanked out.
You can search for some of the specific files available for download from the department’s website. However, the Epstein File Transparency Act required the documents to be in a “publicly searchable format.”
Files include photos, contact lists, flight records, business records and notes, court documents, and more. Many were hundreds of pages long and lacked search capabilities, requiring each document to be reviewed individually.
President Trump mentioned in lawsuit against Epstein Foundation
Trump’s name first surfaced in New York in 2020 in a federal lawsuit against the estates of Epstein’s victims.
The suit alleges that Epstein took a 14-year-old girl to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion. The victim described Epstein elbowing Trump and asking, “This is a good thing, right?” Trump smiled and nodded his approval, according to the complaint. The victim said she felt uncomfortable but was too young to understand why.
Trump, who was friends with Epstein before they fell out in the 1990s, has been photographed with him and was previously mentioned in his flight records.
However, President Trump has strongly denied any wrongdoing with Epstein.
One of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, said in a 2016 deposition that Trump “didn’t physically see her having sex with women.” Maxwell told the deputy attorney general in July that he had “never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting.”
A glimpse inside Epstein’s medicine cabinet
The inventory in Epstein’s medicine closet included three types of medicine for female yeast infections and itching, as well as a douche.
More than 70 items are listed on shelves and in folders with documents labeled evidence from the Palm Beach Police Department and the FBI.
Hundreds of files contain images of objects discovered during the initial investigation in 2006 or pulled from Epstein’s trash in the months before that. Random items include household receipts, shopping lists, Epstein’s pay stubs, bras, picture frames, books, CDs, floppy disks, and a massage table.
Police also found two notes regarding missed calls from Jean-Luc. This person is likely Epstein’s longtime colleague, modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who committed suicide in 2022 after being accused of raping a minor. Both said the callers had spoken to their doctors about a treatable virus that can cause impotence if left untreated.
Also included is a 96-page incident report detailing each step of the Palm Beach Police Department’s original investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
