Washington: The Justice Department is up against a Friday deadline to disclose a wide range of files on Jeffrey Epstein, the financier whose long trail of sexual abuse cases, powerful acquaintances and controversial plea deals has fuelled public scrutiny for nearly twenty years. The impending release, required under a new bipartisan law signed by President Donald Trump on November 19, is expected to provide the most expansive government account to date of investigations into Epstein’s abuse of young women and underage girls, as well as details surrounding his 2019 death in federal custody.
The agency has not said when during the day it intends to make the documents available. The law gives the department 30 days to publish most of its unclassified materials and specifies that records cannot be withheld because of “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.” It does allow redactions for victims and ongoing investigations.
The release comes amid a growing wave of disclosures from Congress. On Thursday, House Oversight Committee Democrats circulated more than 60 additional photographs taken from Epstein’s estate, adding to a collection of roughly 95,000 images turned over to lawmakers last week. The latest pictures show foreign passports belonging to women from several countries, including Russia, Italy and South Africa, as well as photographs of Epstein alongside high-profile figures. Some images display quotes from Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita”, written in black ink across a woman’s chest, neck, back and foot. Another photograph shows Epstein with three women whose faces were obscured by committee staff. A series of redacted text messages included in the batch depict someone arranging to “send girls” for “1000$ per girl”, with identifying details partially removed. One of the visible lines indicates the young woman mentioned is “18 y old”, with “Russia” and a Schengen check mark also present. Democrats said they released the images exactly as received from the estate, apart from changes required to protect the identities of victims and individuals whose status is unclear. Among those appearing in the newly public photos are billionaire Bill Gates, philosopher and political commentator Noam Chomsky, conservative activist Steve Bannon, film director Woody Allen, former YouTube chief executive Salar Kamangar, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Some had been previously photographed with Epstein, and representatives for several of them did not respond to requests for comment. Gates has repeatedly denied that Epstein ever worked for him and has said he regrets their meetings. Allen has said he never spent time with Epstein without his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, present. A New York Times spokesperson said Brooks attended a 2011 dinner as part of his work as a journalist and had no further contact with Epstein. Democrats on the committee said the images were chosen to offer a “representative sample” of what the estate provided. Representative Robert Garcia of California, the panel’s top Democrat, said his colleagues would continue to publish photos and documents “to provide transparency for the American people” as the Justice Department’s deadline approaches. He repeated his allegation that the White House was preventing a full accounting and said the department “must release the Epstein files now.” Republicans on the committee have accused Democrats of selecting photos in a way that shapes a specific narrative and have tended to release documents only after a full review. The Justice Department’s forthcoming records are predicted to dwarf anything released from Capitol Hill so far. Survivors interviewed by CNN said the uncertainty about what will emerge has been distressing, adding that previous image drops have triggered painful memories. Hundreds of victims are expected to monitor the release closely.
Epstein’s legal troubles began in 2005 when Palm Beach police launched an inquiry after a 14-year-old girl reported being molested at his mansion. The FBI later joined the investigation, collecting accounts from multiple minors who described being paid to give him sexual massages. Prosecutors ultimately reached a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to state charges involving someone under 18, resulting in an 18-month sentence and avoiding federal prosecution. His accusers spent years in court attempting to overturn the agreement. Among those allegations were claims by Virginia Giuffre, who said Epstein trafficked her for sexual encounters with wealthy businessmen, public figures and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known as Prince Andrew. All of the men denied wrongdoing. Giuffre died by suicide in April in Western Australia at age 41. Mountbatten-Windsor has continued to deny having sex with her, though King Charles III removed his royal titles after her memoir was published.
In 2019, federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking, but he died in jail within a month. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted of recruiting underage girls for him and is serving a 20-year sentence, recently transferred to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas. The Justice Department said in July it had uncovered no evidence supporting additional prosecutions. Over the years, journalists and litigants have released numerous materials on Epstein, including flight manifests, deposition transcripts, police records and emails. Yet interest remains intense, particularly regarding his ties to wealthy and politically connected men such as Trump, Mountbatten-Windsor and former president Bill Clinton. Both Trump and Clinton have denied misconduct. Trump, who had initially opposed the transparency bill, reversed course once it became clear Congress would approve it. He said releasing the files would help the country move forward. Earlier in the year, he criticised supporters for believing what he called “the Jeffrey Epstein hoax”. He also urged the Justice Department to investigate his political rivals, prompting Attorney General Pam Bondi to order a federal prosecutor to look into Epstein’s ties to people Trump had named. None of them had been accused by Epstein’s victims. The Justice Department has offered no public guidance on when its release will begin, leaving survivors, lawmakers and the public waiting for what could be the most revealing tranche of Epstein-related records to date.agencies