US Department of Justice Releases Millions of New Epstein Documents

The US Department of Justice has released a large collection of documents and media related to Jeffrey Epstein, a late financier and convicted sex offender. On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the release of over 3 million pages of documents, more than 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images. This move fulfills a requirement established by Congress’s Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Blanche stated that the department had completed a comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency and compliance with the act. The release includes previously unreleased materials, such as flight logs showing President Donald Trump’s interactions with Epstein in the 1990s.

The administration has faced scrutiny over the pace of the files’ release and redactions within the published documents. Blanche denied rumors that the Justice Department sought to protect powerful individuals, including Trump. The department had initially missed a December 19 deadline set by Congress to release all the files.

According to Blanche, any materials withheld were done so to prevent potential harm to ongoing investigations or exposure of victims’ identities. Women in the Epstein files, other than Ghislaine Maxwell, have been obscured from the released videos and images. The recent releases also contain images showing prominent individuals socializing with Epstein, including Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, Woody Allen, and former US President Bill Clinton.

The release is part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by Congress last year to force the release of all federal documents pertaining to Epstein. The law mandated that hundreds of lawyers review records to determine what needed to be blacked out to protect victims’ identities.

Source: Al Jazeera