(AFP) – The release of documents related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein follows months of pressure on the Trump administration for transparency about the politically explosive case. Friday’s release, to meet a deadline set by Congress, was just the first tranche of what the administration is saying will be a massive volume of information. But it is already drawing criticism as the documents are heavily redacted. They include photos of high-profile figures, including former president Bill Clinton, and quickly provoked strong reactions from across the political divide.
– **What has been released?** – Mid-afternoon on Friday, the US Department of Justice provided a link to what it calls the “Epstein Library.” It includes four groups of documents: court records, disclosures from the DOJ – the bulk of the new documents – freedom of information requests, and disclosures from a US House oversight committee. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday there would be several hundred thousand documents released and several hundred thousand more in coming weeks. However, it appeared many of the documents had been revealed previously. DOJ posted new documents on Friday totaling about 3,900 files. The release features numerous photographs not previously made public, and politicians and celebrities among those pictured. There are also video clips from inside the correctional center in New York from the day Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
– **What do the files show?** – In many cases, the files show little because of heavy redactions. For example, a list of 254 masseuses is entirely blacked out. In other cases, there is little context provided, making it hard to interpret the significance of the information. One file contains dozens of censored images showing naked or scantily clad figures. Others show Epstein and companions, their faces obscured, with firearms. The expectation is that the files will shed light on Epstein’s network of associates – business executives, academics, celebrities, and politicians, including President Donald Trump. However, it’s unclear how much the Justice Department, which controls the release, will allow to be made public and how it is selecting documents. Trump was a friend of Epstein, although he severed ties years before the financier’s 2019 arrest.
– **Celebrity sightings** – The documents include several images of Bill Clinton, taken some years ago. In one, he is pictured reclining in a hot tub with another person whose face is blacked out. Among celebrities featured are pop stars Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Mick Jagger – all pictured with Clinton. Others featured include the former Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, actor Kevin Spacey, and British tycoon Richard Branson.
– **Reactions** – In deeply polarized Washington, the reaction was partisan in large part. The White House jumped on the Clinton appearances. “Slick Willy! @BillClinton just chillin, without a care in the world. Little did he know…” Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X. The White House also touted the release as a show of transparency. But the top senator from the opposition Democrats, Chuck Schumer, complained that the heavily redacted documents released on Friday was just a fraction of the whole body of evidence. “Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” Schumer said, adding that 119 pages of one document were completely blacked out.
On the Republican side, some dissent emerged. Lawmaker Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored the law forcing the release of the files with Democrat Ro Khanna, accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of “withholding specific documents.” And Marjorie Taylor Greene, a onetime Trump ally who has shifted sides and resigned from Congress, said: “The whole point was NOT to protect the ‘politically exposed individuals and government officials’.”
– Matthew PENNINGTON
© 2024 AFP
