The first wave of unsealed documents from the investigations into the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released by the US Department of Justice.
Trump’s administration tonight published thousands of documents, on what was the deadline to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandating the release of files.
The law was passed by the United States Congress and signed by President Trump in November, however his administration has faced criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers for the perceived stalling of the release of files.
Senator Adam Schiff and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene were among those who today accused the administration of ‘moving the goalpost’ – amid claims that the Justice Department missed the legal deadline as the full disclosure will take an additional “couple of weeks,” according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Trump’s justice department has said that more Epstein files will be released on a rolling basis.
The administration has defended its handling of the release of the files, with a spokesperson claiming it was ‘the most transparent in history’ regarding the Epstein case. However, criticism is mounting relating to the heavily redacted nature of the documents.
Along with dozens of photos, the release features flight logs, and redacted contact and masseuse books.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his ‘prince’ title earlier this year, also featured in the release, with a picture showing him sprawled across five women’s laps with Ghislaine Maxwell standing in the background.
The Epstein Files also show Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson sitting beside a woman on a sofa, and standing with another woman on a street, with the identities of both females redacted. Per the Act, the Administration was specifically instructed to only redact the faces of victims and/or minors.
Former President Bill Clinton features heavily in the long-awaited trove of photos from the files, with images showing him swimming with Ghislaine Maxwell and topless in a hot tub. Ms Maxwell also features in a photo taken outside No 10 Downing Street. Among those pictured with Epstein and his associates are Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.
The Clinton hot tub picture is among the first batch of photos released, and shows the former president lying half-naked with a woman whose face is redacted.
Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared the image on the platform X, alongside the comment: “Oh my!”
Mr Clinton now looks set to face renewed questions over his relationship with Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in a New York prison cell in August 2019 as he awaited, without the chance of bail, his trial on sex trafficking charges.
The Telegraph reports that there is little reference to Donald Trump so far in the files, other than a few previously-seen photographs.