Contained in the Epstein information: Well-known faces, blacked-out pages

[ad_1] The US Justice Division on Friday started releasing a long-awaited cache of information from its investigations into the politically explosive case of convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein – although a lot of the fabric remained closely redacted.

Among the many trove are quite a few images depicting former Democratic president Invoice Clinton and different luminaries, together with Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, in Epstein's social circle.

The sweeping blackouts throughout lots of the paperwork – mixed with tight management over the discharge by officers in President Donald Trump's administration – stoked skepticism over whether or not this disclosure will silence conspiracy theories of a high-level cover-up.

In a single instance, seven pages itemizing 254 masseuses have each title buried beneath thick black bars alongside the observe, "redacted to guard potential sufferer info."

Even so, the information shed some gentle on the disgraced financier's intimate ties to the wealthy, well-known and highly effective -- Trump amongst them.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/0119183a-dd37-11f0-8fb9-005056a97e36/w:980/46d474ed4d7aa0fcc3a3cb7e6272a04d1fc28ea6.jpg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/0119183a-dd37-11f0-8fb9-005056a97e36/w:246/46d474ed4d7aa0fcc3a3cb7e6272a04d1fc28ea6.jpg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/0119183a-dd37-11f0-8fb9-005056a97e36/w:388/46d474ed4d7aa0fcc3a3cb7e6272a04d1fc28ea6.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/0119183a-dd37-11f0-8fb9-005056a97e36/w:720/46d474ed4d7aa0fcc3a3cb7e6272a04d1fc28ea6.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/0119183a-dd37-11f0-8fb9-005056a97e36/w:980/46d474ed4d7aa0fcc3a3cb7e6272a04d1fc28ea6.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="This photo provided by the US Justice Department on December 19, 2025 shows an undated picture of former US president Bill Clinton in a jacuzzi at an undisclosed location." loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> This photograph offered by the US Justice Division on December 19, 2025 reveals an undated image of former US president Invoice Clinton in a jacuzzi at an undisclosed location. © US Division of Justice, AFP Not less than one file comprises dozens of censored photos of bare or scantily clad figures. Others present Epstein and companions, their faces obscured, posing with firearms.

Beforehand unseen images embrace Maxwell with disgraced former prince Andrew, pictured mendacity throughout the legs of 5 folks.

One other photograph reveals a youthful-looking Clinton lounging in a sizzling tub, a part of the picture blacked out.

In one other, Clinton swims alongside a dark-haired girl who seems to be Epstein's confederate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

A 'fraction' of the proof The White Home wasted no time seizing on Clinton's appearances.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/007f90ca-dd37-11f0-8b42-005056bfb2b6/w:980/0b111f53f70597726587d71eb5b3d8006c2c042e.jpg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/007f90ca-dd37-11f0-8b42-005056bfb2b6/w:246/0b111f53f70597726587d71eb5b3d8006c2c042e.jpg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/007f90ca-dd37-11f0-8b42-005056bfb2b6/w:388/0b111f53f70597726587d71eb5b3d8006c2c042e.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/007f90ca-dd37-11f0-8b42-005056bfb2b6/w:720/0b111f53f70597726587d71eb5b3d8006c2c042e.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/007f90ca-dd37-11f0-8b42-005056bfb2b6/w:980/0b111f53f70597726587d71eb5b3d8006c2c042e.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="Bill Clinton with US singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross at an undisclosed location as the Justice Department began releasing the long-awaited records." loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Invoice Clinton with US singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross at an undisclosed location because the Justice Division started releasing the long-awaited information. © US Division of Justice, AFP "Slick Willy! @BillClinton simply chillin, and not using a care on the earth. Little did he know..." Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X.

Clinton's deputy chief of employees Angel Urena responded to the newly launched information by saying the nation "expects solutions, not scapegoats."

"The White Home hasn't been hiding these information for months solely to dump them late on a Friday to guard Invoice Clinton. That is about shielding themselves," Urena wrote in a press release posted to X.

Democrats voiced frustration that the discharge fell far wanting what was mandated by the Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act.

The brand new federal legislation required the federal government's total case file be posted publicly by Friday, constrained solely by authorized and sufferer privateness issues.

"This set of closely redacted paperwork launched by the Division of Justice in the present day is only a fraction of the entire physique of proof," mentioned Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer.

"Merely releasing a mountain of blacked-out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the legislation. For instance, all 119 pages of 1 doc had been fully blacked out."

Different Democrats in Congress mentioned the federal government had withheld a draft indictment ready after the financier's 2019 arrest, which they are saying would implicate "different wealthy and highly effective males who had been on Epstein's rape island."

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/ffd4a8ae-dd36-11f0-a6ae-005056bfb2b6/w:980/a0f6a550154825f11b3a3a0ee2fc0b3cc4bde010.jpg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/ffd4a8ae-dd36-11f0-a6ae-005056bfb2b6/w:246/a0f6a550154825f11b3a3a0ee2fc0b3cc4bde010.jpg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/ffd4a8ae-dd36-11f0-a6ae-005056bfb2b6/w:388/a0f6a550154825f11b3a3a0ee2fc0b3cc4bde010.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/ffd4a8ae-dd36-11f0-a6ae-005056bfb2b6/w:720/a0f6a550154825f11b3a3a0ee2fc0b3cc4bde010.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/ffd4a8ae-dd36-11f0-a6ae-005056bfb2b6/w:980/a0f6a550154825f11b3a3a0ee2fc0b3cc4bde010.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="Photographs of celebrities including Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger and Richard Branson, and Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell revealed in the latest release of the Epstein files." loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Pictures of celebrities together with Invoice Clinton, Mick Jagger and Richard Branson, and Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, had been launched by the US Justice Division as a part of the long-awaited Epstein information. © Mandel Ngan, AFP Trump, who as soon as counted his Palm Seashore, Florida neighbor as an in depth pal, spent months making an attempt to dam the disclosure of the information, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 whereas awaiting trial on sex-trafficking prices.

The Republican president finally bowed to mounting stress from Congress – together with members of his personal get together – and final month signed the legislation compelling publication of the supplies by Friday.

Deputy Lawyer Common Todd Blanche mentioned a number of hundred thousand paperwork can be printed on deadline day, with extra to comply with in coming weeks.

Prosecutors retain discretion to withhold materials tied to lively investigations, and Blanche mentioned information had additionally been redacted to guard the identities of Epstein's a whole lot of victims.

'Democrat hoax' Trump as soon as moved in the identical Palm Seashore and New York get together scene as Epstein, showing with him at occasions all through the Nineteen Nineties. He severed ties years earlier than Epstein's 2019 arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing within the case.

<img fetchpriority="low" src="https://s.france24.com/media/display/11647812-bfd5-11f0-bb62-005056a90284/w:980/d94b57a0fda829a9574e91747bde0e34eefb5044.jpg" srcset="https://s.france24.com/media/display/11647812-bfd5-11f0-bb62-005056a90284/w:246/d94b57a0fda829a9574e91747bde0e34eefb5044.jpg 246w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/11647812-bfd5-11f0-bb62-005056a90284/w:388/d94b57a0fda829a9574e91747bde0e34eefb5044.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/11647812-bfd5-11f0-bb62-005056a90284/w:720/d94b57a0fda829a9574e91747bde0e34eefb5044.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/11647812-bfd5-11f0-bb62-005056a90284/w:980/d94b57a0fda829a9574e91747bde0e34eefb5044.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px" alt="Jeffrey Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors." style="max-height:1161px" loading="lazy" class="a-img "/> Jeffrey Epstein was charged with intercourse trafficking of minors. © New York State Intercourse Offender Registry, AFP However his right-wing base has lengthy fixated on the Epstein saga and conspiracy theories alleging the financier ran a intercourse trafficking ring for the worldwide elite.

On the marketing campaign path, Trump vowed to launch all of the information. But after returning to workplace, he dismissed the transparency push as a "Democrat hoax."

Trump's Justice Division ignited a political firestorm in July with a memo declaring there can be no additional disclosures from the Epstein probe and his fabled "shopper checklist" didn't exist earlier than the president bowed to stress.

Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, stays the one individual convicted in connection along with his crimes, and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage ladies for the previous instructor and banker, whose demise was dominated a suicide.