US releases thousands of Epstein investigation files under transparency law deadline

WASHINGTON

The US Justice Department released thousands of records Friday related to the sex trafficking investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

The release came on the last day of the 30 days allowed by the Epstein Files Transparency Act -- legislation forcing the Justice Department action to release all documents related to the probe.

More than 3,000 heavily redacted documents were released on the agency’s website.

The files include images of several high-profile figures. Former US President Bill Clinton is featured in several, and includes figures whose faces were redacted.

Other personalities include actor and comedian Chris Tucker, musicians Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger, British mogul Richard Branson, broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, actor Kevin Spacey and former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.

In one of the images, Epstein is seen in a jet wearing a sweatshirt with the emblem of the Israeli military, with a similar garment visible in a closet in another photo in the files.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act took months to win approval in the House of Representatives after it was introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna in July. President Donald Trump signed it into law Nov. 19 after it cleared the House and Senate with near unanimous support.

While it requires the Trump administration to reveal all unclassified records related to the investigation into Epstein and Maxwell, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday that the Justice Department would make a partial release of “several hundred thousand.”

Blanche said that after the initial release that included photos and "other materials" related to the Epstein investigation, the Justice Department would "release more documents over the next couple of weeks."

The Epstein case has remained a politically charged issue, with lawmakers and victims’ advocates from across the spectrum demanding greater transparency about his network of associates and any individuals who may have facilitated his crimes.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court and was convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008.

His victims have alleged that he operated a sprawling sex trafficking network that was utilized by members of the wealthy and political elite.