Want a refresher on the battle over the Epstein files? Here’s how President Donald Trump factors in, a look at Jeffrey Epstein’s private islands, plus what we know about Epstein’s death in jail.
The Justice Department released tens of thousands of records Friday on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though many of the files are heavily redacted and the agency failed to meet a legal deadline to release all files related to its investigations.
A person whose face has been redacted sits with her arm around former President Bill Clinton on a plane. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
The material comes after a yearlong bipartisan push for the government to release its files on the Epstein investigation. Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson both initially sought to block or delay the effort. But Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, used a procedural move called a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill on the House floor.
The law, which Trump signed in mid-November, requires the Department of Justice to release publicly “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession” of the DOJ, FBI and U.S. attorney’s offices within 30 days — or Dec. 19. The files, many heavily redacted, include photographs, contact lists, flight logs, business records and memos, court documents and more.
READ MORE: DOJ begins releasing Epstein files, with many heavily redacted
A massage room with images of naked women on the walls. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
The attorney general does have the ability to redact or withhold information that personally identifies victims or would jeopardize an active federal investigation. But those redactions must be accompanied by a written justification and submitted to Congress.
“I’ve been very disappointed with the partial nature of the release,” Khanna told PBS News Hour’s Liz Landers on Friday night, saying there was no information about why certain materials were redacted.
He pointed specifically to a few documents missing from the release that may have offered more information about others involved in covering up Epstein’s abuse, including the government’s draft indictment and witness interview memorandum.
“It’s less about ‘Is this a full release?’ and more about the quality of the release, and what are they hiding,” he said. That’s what the survivors want, he added.
Former President Bill Clinton features prominently in several of the newly released images, in some cases pictured with women whose identities have been redacted. “They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” Clinton’s deputy chief of staff said in a statement Friday.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Fox News interview on Friday morning that not all the Epstein files would be released Friday. Instead, hundreds of thousands of documents would be released over the course of the coming weeks.
Actor Kevin Spacey (center) is seen in a room of men, including former President Bill Clinton. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
A heavily redacted photo contact sheet with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein seen in the center image. This image was among the thousands of records on Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is seen on the phone and holding up a cake that appears to be shaped like breasts inside an office. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Ghislaine Maxwell (left), charged for recruiting underage girls for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, poses with magician David Copperfield. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
“There’s a lot of eyes looking at these, and we want to make sure that that when we do produce the materials we’re producing, that we’re protecting every single victim,” he said, adding that a judge has also required the U.S. Attorney in New York to review the materials to protect victims’ safety.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, which issued its own subpoena to the Epstein estate earlier this year in the course of its own probe into how the investigation was handled, have selectively released a steady stream of Epstein emails, images and documents in the last few weeks. They come from a total batch of 95,000 images from the Epstein estate, according to the Democratic ranking member on the committee, which come from Epstein’s email account and computer. Some of the photos in a recent cache this weekshow high-profile figures like the Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Republican strategist Steve Bannon.
Former President Bill Clinton seen in a pool next to a person whose face has been redacted. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Ghislaine Maxwell (left), charged for recruiting underage girls for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, is seen in a pool alongside former President Bill Clinton. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Former President Bill Clinton and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein stand next to one another. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Pop star Michael Jackson (left), with former President Bill Clinton and singer Diana Ross and three people whose faces are redacted. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sits on couches with journalist Walter Cronkite (right) and another guest. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
An image of a room from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s properties, part of a larger collection of images from his New York Townhome and Virgin Island living spaces. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Mick Jagger (left), singer of the Rolling Stone, and former President Bill Clinton (right) next to a person whose face has been redacted. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Ghislaine Maxwell, longtime confidant and associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, gives him a foot massage on a plane. This undated photo was among the thousands of records on Epstein released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Khanna said there are a few options for how to push for more documents to be released, including additional testimony from and news conferences with survivors, lawsuits, impeachment and referrals for criminal prosecution if the government doesn’t comply.
“My interest is not punitive against [Attorney General] Pam Bondi or the deputy attorney general or Trump. It’s to find justice. And I want to see what we can do to get more of these documents released,” he said.
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