The US Department of Justice on Friday released thousands of its files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — just hours ahead of a congressionally mandated deadline.
It followed months of pressure on President Donald Trump and Republican allies who had sought to block the files’ release, prompting anger within the US president’s Maga movement. Congressional Republicans and Trump relented last month.
Here is what we learned from the long-awaited disclosure.
Donald Trump is largely absent
One of the biggest questions ahead of the DoJ’s disclosure was if and how the files would feature the US president.
But Trump barely appears. This is in contrast to photos of him and documents linking him to Epstein released by Democrats in the US House, which is conducting a separate Epstein investigation.
The DoJ’s new documents include a partially covered photo of the president that seems to match a publicly available image featuring Trump, his wife Melania Trump, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding the late financier’s abuse.
There is also a photo of Epstein holding an oversized cheque with a seemingly bogus signature reading “DJTrump”. It resembles a cheque that was reportedly pictured in a birthday book for the late sex offender in which Trump allegedly included a separate message and a lewd drawing, according to The Wall Street Journal. The president called the WSJ report “false, malicious, and defamatory” and has sued the outlet, Rupert Murdoch and others. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said Trump did not sign that cheque.
Trump otherwise appears in book form. Photographs show copies of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a book authored by journalist Michael Wolff, as well as a book whose spine reads “TRUMP” and a title that is illegible due to poor photo quality.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said “the Trump administration is the most transparent in history”, adding it had “done more for the victims than Democrats ever have”.
The DoJ released fewer files than expected and redacted many
The breadth of the DoJ’s material is far smaller than originally advertised by deputy US attorney-general Todd Blanche, who earlier on Friday told Fox News “several hundred thousand” files would be published that day.
The release includes nearly 4,000 documents and roughly 8,400 pages.
Blanche added that “several hundred thousand more” would be made public “over the next couple of weeks”, prompting critics to accuse the DoJ of violating the law passed by Congress last month that compelled US attorney-general Pam Bondi to release “all documents and records” linked to Epstein in 30 days’ time. That deadline was Friday.
Many of the pages and names are redacted, including one item almost 120 pages long, labelled “Grand Jury-NY”, which is almost entirely in black.
The DoJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Photos with big names
Photos released by the DoJ feature a who’s who of business, music, Hollywood and politics.
Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group, is pictured next to Epstein — barefoot, wearing swimming trunks, a T-shirt and sunglasses.
Les Wexner, the former head of Victoria’s Secret parent company L Brands and longtime client of Epstein, was also photographed with him. Wexner has said he was “embarrassed” by his relationship with Epstein.
Other images show the late financier beside music stars Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger.
Kevin Spacey, the Hollywood actor who was engulfed in his own harassment scandal, is also featured, including in a photo taken inside the cabinet war rooms under the Treasury in London.
Spacey was also pictured alongside former US president Bill Clinton, who appears in at least 24 separate images.
Republicans focus on Clinton
Trump allies and supporters across social media are seeking to direct attention to the former Democratic president.
Laura Loomer, the outspoken Maga activist, wrote in a post on X that the media would not focus on Clinton being “nearly naked in a pool” with Epstein and Maxwell because “they just want to ‘Get Trump’”.
White House spokesperson Jackson also posted a pool photo of Clinton.
There are several photos of Clinton with Epstein. But there are several others of the ex-president beside individuals whose faces are redacted — in a swimming pool, standing close to each other, or sitting side by side, with his hand around a person with long blonde hair.
The DoJ has said it would investigate ties between Epstein and a number of Democrats, including Clinton.
Clinton’s deputy chief of staff Angel Ureña wrote on X that the White House was “shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever”. He added: “Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton” — a reference to comments made by Trump’s chief of staff in a Vanity Fair profile last week.
‘Female’ offered in phone messages
The files underscore the scale of Epstein’s crimes. DoJ officials marked 631 images that were excluded from scanning and publication because they were deemed to be child sexual abuse material.
The files include a declaration from an FBI agent from 2007 — prior to the 2008 plea deal which required only 13 months in custody — noting how Epstein recruited three girls aged 14, 15 and 17. One said “she returned to Epstein’s home approximately 100 times” and he sought to engage her “in more and more sexual behaviour”.
The files also include phone messages addressed to Epstein. One dated 2004 read: “I have a female for him.” The same phrase appeared in a message a year later. The sender was redacted.
New photo of former prince Andrew
The brother of King Charles III has once again been dragged into the Epstein saga, with a black and white image showing him sprawled, in formalwear, across five seated individuals whose faces are redacted. Some are wearing skirts.
Maxwell stands behind the sofa, looking down at the group with a broad smile. A fireplace as tall as Maxwell is in the background, with an ornate clock and vases on its mantel.
The former prince in October gave up a series of royal titles amid controversy over his relationship with Epstein and Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was abused by both men and died by suicide earlier this year. The former prince has denied her accusations.
Additional reporting by Chris Cook, Peter Andringa and Sam Stewart in London, Lauren Fedor in Washington and David Djambazov in Sofia
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