Topline
A portion of the long-awaited Epstein files were released Friday as the Justice Department made the documents public in compliance with federal law, offering thousands of never-before-seen pages detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking scheme and featuring high-profile Epstein associates including former President Bill Clinton (see photos posted below).
Jeffrey Epstein and former President Bill Clinton appear in an undated photo released by the Justice Department on Dec. 19.
U.S. Department of Justice
Key Facts
The photos released Friday include multiple photos of former President Bill Clinton, including images of Clinton in a hot tub alongside an anonymous woman, in a pool with Maxwell and posing with Epstein, other anonymous women and singer Michael Jackson.
The files also include photos of Epstein with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, billionaire Richard Branson and late CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, with several pages labeled “Walter Cronkite 1/07” that feature images of Epstein with the journalist.
President Donald Trump, who did not respond to questions about the files during an interaction with the press Friday, also appears in photos in the files alongside anonymous women, while another photo featuring personal images on Epstein’s desk includes a picture of the now-president, but The New York Times notes Trump otherwise does not appear to be significantly mentioned in the first batch of files.
Another document shows a never-before-seen framed photo of Epstein holding a $22,500 novelty check from Trump with an anonymous woman—resurfacing the check after a scrapbook for Epstein’s birthday previously described it as Trump “selling” a woman to Epstein.
The documents also indicate Epstein’s alleged abuse was flagged to the government years before it was publicly known, with files showing Epstein victim Maria Farmer filed a complaint with the FBI in 1996 about the financier’s interest in “child pornography.”
Many of the photos and documents released Friday are heavily redacted or hard to decipher—with Fox News reporting the DOJ may have also redacted information about “politically exposed individuals and government officials,” which is not allowed under federal law—and the administration has been criticized for including a search function for the documents that does not work.
Former President Bill Clinton is pictured in a hot tub with an anonymous person in this undated photo, released Dec. 19 by the Department of Justice.
U.S. Department of Justice
Former President Bill Clinton, singer Mick Jagger and others attend a dinner in this undated photo, released Dec. 19 by the Department of Justice.
U.S. Department of Justice
Jeffrey Epstein and billionaire Richard Branson appear in an undated photo, released Dec. 19 by the Justice Department.
U.S. Department of Justice
Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson appear in an undated photo, released Dec. 19 by the Department of Justice.
U.S. Department of Justice
Former President Bill Clinton appears in a pool with a person believed to be Ghislaine Maxwell and an anonymous woman in this undated photo, released Dec. 19 by the Department of Justice.
U.S. Department of Justice
Chief Critic
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., characterized Friday’s publication of Epstein files as an “incomplete release with too many redactions.” He noted in a video statement he and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are exploring legal options including the impeachment of Justice Department officials. Clinton’s spokesperson Angel Urena also defended the former president in a statement Friday, describing Clinton as a “scapegoat” who “knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to life.”
News Peg
The partial files were released ahead of an end-of-day Friday deadline to make the files public, after Congress passed legislation requiring the documents to be released within 30 days of the bill becoming law. The documents released Friday include a number of court records, DOJ disclosures, Freedom of Information Act records and disclosures from the House Oversight Committee. Among the documents released as part of the tranche are an evidence list in the investigation against Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs, Epstein’s contact book, a list of more than 200 masseuses that is entirely redacted, prison videos and photos of Epstein’s home and anonymous women, many of whose faces are blocked out with black boxes, fully redacted.
What Documents Will Still Be Released?
The files released Friday are only a portion of the total Epstein files, as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday morning that “hundreds of thousands” of pages would be released by the deadline, but more would be released in the coming weeks. In addition to the files themselves, federal law also requires the government to submit a summary of any redactions made to the files, the categories of materials that were both released and withheld, and a full list of “all government officials and politically exposed persons” who are named or referenced in the documents. Those must be released within 15 days of the files being made public. The House Oversight Committee has also been making materials public that are separate from the government’s files on the financier, most notably documents and photos from Epstein’s estate. Democrats on the committee have suggested they will soon release materials J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank turned over in response to subpoenas, which could offer more information on Epstein’s finances.
What Information Was Required To Be Released?
The government had to release nearly all documents regarding investigations or prosecutions into Epstein, associate Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs related to Epstein, internal DOJ communications on Epstein and documentation related to his 2019 death. The federal law also demanded information regarding Epstein that government officials may have destroyed, altered or concealed, as well as the names of any corporate entities tied to Epstein’s “trafficking or financial networks” and any individuals who are “named or referenced in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities.” The DOJ was allowed to make minimal redactions to the documents to protect victims’ identities, as well as withhold information that depicts child abuse or death, is classified or could jeopardize an ongoing federal investigation.
The Government’s Investigations Against Epstein, Explained
The Epstein files concern two federal investigations into Epstein, as well as the government’s case against associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein first faced investigation in Florida in the 2000s, where court records reveal prosecutors looked into charges including knowingly persuading minors to engage in prosecution, engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors and knowingly “recruiting, enticing and obtaining” minors to “engage in a commercial sex act.” The financier ultimately signed a non-prosecution agreement, however, which allowed him to escape federal prosecution in exchange for pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting prosecution and solicitation of minors for prosecution. He was then separately indicted and arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in New York in 2019, and died in prison before his case could go to trial. Maxwell was found guilty on sex trafficking charges in connection to her work with Epstein, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. She has pleaded not guilty and filed a petition Wednesday challenging her detention.
Epstein’s Well-Documented History With Donald Trump
President Donald Trump and Epstein were known to have been friends in the 1980s through early 2000s before the two had a falling out, which Trump has claimed was because Epstein stole workers from Mar-a-Lago. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, though the Epstein files’ release come after other evidence has raised speculation about his ties to the financier, such as an alleged birthday letter to Epstein featuring a drawing of a naked woman—which Trump has denied was from him—and emails in which Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls.”
Which Billionaires Have Been Linked To Epstein?
Epstein has been linked to a number of high-profile billionaires. He worked for L Brands owner Les Wexner as a financier, with Wexner also selling Epstein his New York mansion, and was also known to have worked with Apollo Capital Management co-founder Leon Black. Among the other billionaires known to have met with Epstein or socialized with him are Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Highbridge Capital co-founder Glenn Dubin and former Boston Properties chair Mort Zuckerman, though none have been accused of wrongdoing. Hyatt Hotels chairman Thomas Pritzker was named by victim Virginia Giuffre as one of Epstein’s friends she was allegedly forced to have sex with, but Pritzker has strongly denied those allegations.
Who Else Has Been Linked To Epstein?
Among the other high-profile figures associated with Epstein are former President Bill Clinton—who has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the financier—and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was recently stripped of his British royal titles due to his friendship with Epstein. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers stepped back from his public roles earlier this year amid emails detailing his friendship with Epstein. The financier was also linked to journalist Michael Wolff, who has said he conducted numerous interviews with Epstein, and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who was producing a documentary about Epstein prior to the financier’s death.
What Information About Epstein Was Already Public?
Thousands of pages of materials had already been released through civil litigation, Maxwell’s trial and the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Epstein, among other channels. The DOJ had also released some files earlier this year—many of which were already public—and had previously made some materials available on its website, though those were very heavily redacted. Among the most notable pieces of information that had already been released were Epstein’s “black book” of contents, flight logs from his private plane and surveillance video from the time of his death, which the DOJ released over the summer. Civil lawsuits have included testimony from some Epstein victims, and some court documents were unsealed in 2024 to reveal names of people that had been named in connection with Epstein.
Further Reading
