Epstein survivors and some lawmakers criticise redactions and partial file release
Donald Trump's Justice Department has been hit with legal threats and outrage after releasing only a fraction of the Epstein files by last night's deadline. Many of the thousands of photos, emails and transcripts that were released are heavily redacted as ITV News' US Correspondent Dan Rivers reports.
Survivors have been left "deeply disappointed" over the redactions and partial release of files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with some lawmakers accusing the Trump administration of a 'cover-up'.
Only part of the so-called Epstein files were made public by Friday’s legal deadline, with the DOJ saying “hundreds of thousands” more documents are expected in the coming weeks.
And many of the documents that were released were heavily redacted to protect the identities of Epstein's victims and survivors.
The material includes photographs, call logs, grand jury testimony and interview transcripts, as well as large volumes of illegal child sexual abuse material and other pornography, the department said.
Appearing in the photographs or documents alone is not evidence of wrongdoing.
The DOJ said the files contain no incriminating “client list” and found no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures.
It added that none of the files uncovered would justify investigations into "uncharged third parties".
The photos and files were released without additional context, and it is unclear when or where they were taken, who took them, or what was happening at the time.
This all comes after months of bitter recriminations, which eventually led to legislation compelling the US Justice Department to give the public everything it had on Epstein before Christmas.
Meanwhile, at least 16 files have disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza unit and in a drawer.
In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Donald Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Donald Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing or charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein.
ITV News has contacted the US Justice Department for comment.
The Oversight Democrats acknowledged the removal of that photograph on the social media platform X.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by US President Donald Trump in November, requires that the materials be released with redactions to protect victims’ names and other identifying information.
"The files relating to Epstein include a large volume of images of Epstein, images and videos of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors, and over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography," a memorandum by the DOJ and FBI said.
"Consistent with prior disclosures, this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims. Each suffered unique trauma. Sensitive information relating to these victims is intertwined throughout the materials."
It follows a series of releases by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, while Republican members have typically published documents and photographs in single releases once they have been fully reviewed.
Republican members of the committee have accused Democrats of “cherry-picking” images to paint a specific narrative, but Democrats vowed to continue releasing photos and documents "to provide transparency for the American people".
Democratic members have accused the Trump administration of a "cover-up" over the delay of a full release of the files.
“Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein's decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring," said Jamie Raskin, of the Judiciary Committee, and Robert Garcia, of the Oversight Committee.
They said that “for months”, US Attorney General Pam Bondi has “denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoena”.
“The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell,” the pair added.
“We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law. The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ.”
Speaking to Fox News earlier on Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche explained the reason for delaying potentially hundreds of thousands of files, past the legal deadline of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“We are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected.
“I expect we are going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks… I expect several hundred thousand more.”
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who co-authored the law requiring the release of the Epstein files, said he was “deeply disappointed” with the material made public and would explore “all options” on what to do next.
He said the law requires all unclassified documents related to Epstein to be released, adding that it was “obvious” the Justice Department had not met that standard.
While he accepted that officials were trying to meet the deadline, he said more should have been released and that it was a "slap in the face" for Epstein's survivors.
He said the documents were "filled with blanket redactions, documents that judges had ordered to be released, they had blanked out".
"We do not know then who these other rich and powerful men were who abused these survivors and we know from the survivors and the survivors' lawyers that that information is in the files," he said.
"This thing is not over until those documents get released."
Khanna said he would work with Republican Representative Thomas Massie to consider next steps which included possibly impeaching Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
"Any Justice Department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration," Khanna said.
Although there will be some never-before-seen material in the thousands of pages being released on Friday, a lot has already been made public.
And those expecting a "client list" of famous men who cavorted with Epstein will also be disappointed. Though such a list has long been rumoured, the Justice Department said in July that it does not exist.
However, associations with Epstein have already led to the downfall of a British prince and a British Ambassador to the United States.
Campaigners seeking justice still hope the redacted documents will show whether high-profile figures were aware of or complicit in his sexual abuse.
Once again, appearing in the photographs or documents alone is not evidence of wrongdoing.
ITV News has contacted Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Richard Branson for comment.
Politicians seeking answers are also hoping the documents will shed light on the extent of Epstein's influence among the rich and powerful - and explain how he amassed his wealth.
Furthermore, they may also confirm some of the accusations made by Epstein's most high-profile survivor, Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir was published in October.
The downloadable files include documents from the criminal investigations into Epstein, such as transcripts of interviews with victims and witnesses, material seized during raids on his properties, internal Justice Department communications, flight logs, and information about people and entities linked to him.
They detail Epstein’s movements, associates, and decisions made during his prosecution, as well as materials related to his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a jail sentence.
The Epstein scandal is one which has dogged Trump’s second term. He had campaigned on a promise to release all government information on the disgraced financier.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
However, he then argued against publishing the files, calling them a "Democrat hoax", before changing his stance again and agreeing to sign legislation if it was passed by US Congress.
It is not clear how much new information will be in the files.
Over the past few months, Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee have released separate data, including a batch of 23,000 documents published in November.
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Epstein was a millionaire money manager known for socialising with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite, who was accused of sexually abusing underage girls.
His relationships with powerful men, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Mountbatten-Windsor, have been the subject of endless fascination and speculation. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing. Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any allegations of wrongdoing related to Virginia Giuffre.
Police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex.
The FBI then joined the investigation, but Epstein made a secret deal with the US attorney in Florida to avoid federal charges, enabling him to plead guilty in 2008 to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.
He served 13 months in a jail work-release programme.
In 2019, during Trump’s first term, Manhattan federal prosecutors revived the case and charged Epstein with sex trafficking, alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. He died by suicide in jail a month after his arrest.
In 2021, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted Epstein’s longtime confidante and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of his underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below...