Takeaways from the latest cache of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice

WASHINGTON – The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Dec 19 released a new cache of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
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The Epstein files have been a significant political problem for US President Donald Trump, with many of his supporters and Republicans in Congress demanding their release. It remains to be seen ‍if this ​partial release will satisfy Mr Trump’s critics on the issue.

Here are some initial takeaways from the documents:

Not much Trump

The big question before the document release was: How prominently would Mr Trump feature in them? He and Epstein appeared to be friends and socialised frequently in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mr Trump says they had ​a falling out ​in the mid-2000s, before Epstein’s first conviction in 2008.

The Dec 19 document dump of government files
containing hundreds of thousands of pages was notable for the lack of mentions of Mr Trump. The DOJ said more documents will be released over the next two weeks.

An initial examination of the cache by Reuters found scant photos of ‍Mr Trump or any mentions of him in documents. There was a single photo of Epstein appearing to hold a check with Mr Trump’s name on it, and a ​separate photo taken inside Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse where a copy of Mr Trump’s 1997 ⁠book, Trump: The Art Of The Comeback, was tucked inside a bookshelf.

Mr Trump’s name appeared in flight manifests listing passengers on Epstein’s private plane that were included in a first batch of material the Justice Department released in February.

Mr Trump and several of his family members were also listed in an Epstein contact book, which was made public during the 2021 trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate who ​was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences in connection with Epstein’s crimes.

Mr Trump has often denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or that he had any knowledge of his crimes when ‌the two socialised in Florida.

Quite a lot of Bill Clinton

The documents contained ​a number of mentions and photos of former Democratic president Bill Clinton.

There were several photos of Mr Clinton, including one of him in a swimming pool with Maxwell and an unidentified person. Others showed Mr Clinton in a hot tub, and another with a young woman sitting on the armrest of his seat with her arm draped around his shoulders, her face redacted. A fourth was a photo of a painting of Mr Clinton in a blue dress hanging in Epstein’s New York home.

The release of the Clinton photos could conflict with Justice Department policy not to release material related to ongoing investigations.

Mr Trump, a Republican, has ordered the DOJ to investigate Mr Clinton’s ties to Epstein, in what critics viewed as an effort ‍to shift the focus away from his own relationship with Epstein.

Mr Clinton has always denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes when the two socialised and travelled together ​and has said he wishes he had never met Epstein.

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Clinton Foundation.

1,200 victims and relatives, and 254 masseuses

Deputy Attorney General Todd ​Blanche told Congress in a letter that the department had identified more than 1,200 victims of Epstein and their relatives ‌during an “exhaustive review” of the documents.

One document was Epstein’s masseuses list, which contained 254 names. All the names were redacted.

Mr Blanche said the documents released on Dec 19 included Federal Bureau of Investigation files from its 2018 and 2006 investigations of Epstein and its investigation of his ‌2019 death, among other materials. REUTERS