The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resumed releasing the much-anticipated files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, more than a month after they were required to be disclosed.
Known colloquially as the Epstein Files, the new material is being shared after the DOJ missed the deadline to turn over all the files required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had 30 days under the act to release all known documentation on the matter when it was passed on Nov. 19.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters on Friday that the department was releasing more than 3 million pages of documents in the latest disclosure, along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, some taken by Epstein, he said.
“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance with the act,” Blanche told reporters.
After missing the December 19 deadline set by Congress to release all the files, the Justice Department said it had tasked 500 lawyers with reviewing the records.
Files containing personal identifying information of victims or that constitute a clear invasion of privacy have been withheld, Blanche said, adding that all redacted information has been kept from the release in compliance with the rules of the Transparency Act, reducing the volume of pages made publicly available from about six million to three million.
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Friday’s disclosure is likely to represent the largest document dump about a saga that the Trump administration has struggled to shake, and that has long animated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and others who have suspected government cover-ups and clamoured for a full accounting, demands that even Blanche acknowledged might not be satisfied by the latest release.
“There’s a hunger, or a thirst, for information that I don’t think will be satisfied by review of these documents,” he said, adding that no effort had been made to protect President Trump.
“We did not protect President Trump. We didn’t protect — or not protect — anybody,” Blanche said.
Trump says he cut ties with the former New York financier years ago, despite having been friends for some time and has never been charged with any criminal wrongdoing in the Epstein case.
New release includes FBI tips on abuse and human sacrifice
The latest files show that over the years, prosecutors received tips from people with stories about being sexually abused by famous people.
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In some instances, FBI investigators reached out to tipsters and alleged victims and listened to their testimonies — some involving the occult and human sacrifice — and then wrote up reports and forwarded them to their superiors.
The mountain of documents also included emails between prosecutors, printouts of thousands of emails sent to and from Epstein, news clippings, and FBI agent reports summarizing their interviews with witnesses and alleged victims in the investigation.
As with previous releases, a large portion of the material was redacted.
Some reports on FBI interviews had entire pages blacked out, including the name of the person being interviewed.
Previously released files include images and videos of Epstein’s home on his private island, Little Saint James, as well as photos from meetings with high-profile figures, including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger in various locations.
The previously released files include a small number of photos of Donald Trump, which appear to have been in the public domain for decades, including two in which the president and Epstein are posing with now-first lady Melania Trump at an event in 2000.
— With files from the Associated Press
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