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<p data-start="74" data-end="382"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The US Justice Department has released the first tranche of records related to its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, making public more than 300,000 pages of material following sustained political pressure and the passage of a new bipartisan transparency law.</span></p>
<p data-start="384" data-end="986"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The disclosure comes after months of intense debate in Washington and an unusual revolt among some of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s core supporters, who accused his administration of delaying the release of all government records linked to Epstein. In November, Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law after it was overwhelmingly approved by Congress, mandating the Justice Department to release most unclassified Epstein-related material within 30 days, including documents connected to the investigation into Epstein&rsquo;s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail, which was officially ruled a suicide.</span></p>
<p data-start="988" data-end="1394"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that &ldquo;hundreds of thousands&rdquo; of pages were released on Friday, with several hundred thousand more expected to be published in the coming weeks. In a letter to lawmakers, he noted that some documents were still under review and that the full process could take up to two more weeks. Blanche added that the files reference more than 1,200 victims or their relatives.</span></p>
<p data-start="1396" data-end="1715"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It remains unclear how much new information the release contains, as many Epstein-related records have already circulated publicly since his death. The Justice Department warned that while extensive efforts were made to redact victims&rsquo; personal information, some sensitive details may have been inadvertently disclosed.</span></p>
<p data-start="1717" data-end="2345"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Among the materials made public are photographs of former US President Bill Clinton, including one image showing him in a swimming pool with Epstein&rsquo;s longtime associate and co-defendant Ghislaine Maxwell, along with another individual whose face is obscured. Clinton did not immediately comment on the release but has previously said he regrets socialising with Epstein and was unaware of any criminal activity. The inclusion of these images has raised questions, as Trump has ordered an investigation into Clinton&rsquo;s ties to Epstein, and information connected to active investigations is typically withheld from public release.</span></p>
<p data-start="2347" data-end="2900"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Trump himself was once friendly with Epstein before the two reportedly fell out in the mid-2000s. The president has denied any knowledge of Epstein&rsquo;s sex trafficking activities and has not been accused of wrongdoing. However, the issue remains politically sensitive. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump promised to declassify the Epstein files if elected, but after returning to office he initially dismissed calls for transparency as a &ldquo;Democrat hoax&rdquo; and urged Republicans to oppose the disclosure law, arguing it could set a dangerous precedent.</span></p>
<p data-start="2902" data-end="3401"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That stance fuelled anger among parts of Trump&rsquo;s voter base, who alleged the government was covering up Epstein&rsquo;s connections to powerful individuals and obscuring details surrounding his death. Tensions intensified after a July memo from federal authorities stated there was &ldquo;no credible evidence&rdquo; that Epstein maintained a &ldquo;client list&rdquo; or used blackmail against prominent figures, a conclusion that further energised demands for full disclosure and helped build momentum for the transparency law.</span></p>
<p data-start="3403" data-end="3704"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Democrats have criticised the latest release as incomplete. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the administration failed to meet the spirit of the legislation, arguing that it was required to release all Epstein-related files, not just a portion of them, and described the move as a &ldquo;cover-up.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p data-start="3706" data-end="4076"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The White House rejected those claims, saying the administration had released thousands of pages of documents, cooperated with congressional subpoenas, and taken steps it argued were more supportive of victims than previous efforts by Democrats. The statement also highlighted Trump&rsquo;s calls for further investigations into Epstein&rsquo;s connections with prominent Democrats.</span></p>
<p data-start="4078" data-end="4575"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The political dispute has been further inflamed by the release of emails from Epstein&rsquo;s estate by House Democrats last month, including one in which Epstein wrote that Trump &ldquo;knew about the girls,&rdquo; without clarifying the remark. Trump dismissed the allegations as part of what he called an &ldquo;Epstein hoax&rdquo; designed to distract from other issues. On the same day, House Republicans released additional emails, including one claiming Trump visited Epstein&rsquo;s home many times but &ldquo;never got a massage.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p data-start="4577" data-end="4873"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two days after those releases, Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate Epstein&rsquo;s links to Clinton and to JPMorgan Chase. Despite White House efforts to delay a vote, Congress passed the disclosure law the following week, compelling the Justice Department to begin releasing the files.</span></p>
<p data-start="4875" data-end="5645"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Earlier disclosures have already shown that Epstein continued to correspond with high-profile figures even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. Those figures include former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, technology investor Peter Thiel, and Britain&rsquo;s Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles after revelations about his association with Epstein. Summers later stepped back from several prominent roles after documents revealed he remained in contact with Epstein until 2019, saying he was &ldquo;deeply ashamed.&rdquo; JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay $290 million in 2023 to settle claims from Epstein&rsquo;s victims, who alleged the bank ignored warning signs and retained Epstein as a client for years after his conviction.</span></p>
<p data-start="5647" data-end="5853"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein&rsquo;s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein.</span></p>
<p data-start="5855" data-end="6439" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While the transparency law allows prosecutors to withhold material that could jeopardise active investigations or expose victims&rsquo; identities, the partial nature of the current release suggests the Epstein controversy is unlikely to subside soon. Recent polling indicates that a significant share of Republicans disapprove of Trump&rsquo;s handling of the issue, a notably lower level of support compared with his overall approval within the party, highlighting the continued political risk as the administration seeks to shift focus to economic concerns ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.</span></p>
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Late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

Epstein records released as politics flare; photos, names and questions resurface

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Epstein records released as politics flare; photos, names and questions resurface

December 20, 2025 | 16:42 IST