What We Know About the Partial Release of the Epstein Files

Under pressure, the U.S. Department of Justice began releasing thousands of documents on Friday from the investigation into sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, which had been eagerly awaited in the United States.

Among the 2.8 gigabytes of files released so far, there are judicial documents, interrogation recordings, and flight itineraries. Several celebrities, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and singer Michael Jackson, appear in images.

The AFP reviews what is known about the first files released.

PDFs and Judicial Documents
Approximately 3,965 files have been uploaded to the U.S. Department of Justice's website, divided into four databases. Most of the published files are PDFs containing photographs.

There are also judicial documents related to the trial of Jeffrey Epstein's former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, the only person convicted in this case, and videos of Jeffrey Epstein's cell on the day of his suicide in 2019, which occurred before his trial for trafficking minors.

Redacted Elements
A large portion of the content in the files is redacted, such as a document titled "Masseuses" that contains a list of 254 names, all concealed.

Another document contains a directory with only the names visible, including actors Alec Baldwin and Dustin Hoffman, several members of the Kennedy family, and billionaire Rupert Murdoch.

The name of Donald Trump is also listed, circled by hand.

A handwritten note regarding "important email addresses" references Jean-Luc Brunel as a "scout" for young women. This French modeling agent had been accused of sexual violence by Virginia Giuffre, one of the victims of the financier. He was also found dead 25 years later in his cell before his trial.

Additionally, some faces in the photographs, appearing to belong to young women, have been obscured. A file containing dozens of redacted images shows naked or lightly clothed individuals, while other photos depict Jeffrey Epstein and his companions with masked faces, holding firearms.

Celebrities
Former Democratic President Bill Clinton, already featured in previously released images from the file, appears in several photos. He is notably seen in a jacuzzi alongside a person obscured by a black rectangle.

Other images show Jeffrey Epstein with actor Kevin Spacey, Michael Jackson, rock star Mick Jagger, singer Diana Ross, and former Prince Andrew with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

Reactions
After months of Donald Trump opposing the release of these files, the White House shared photos of Bill Clinton on Friday, including the one where he is in a jacuzzi.

"Bill Clinton is relaxing, without a care in the world. He suspected nothing..." wrote Steven Cheung, the communications director, on X.

However, the department only released part of the files on Friday, which angered Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. He reminded that the law required the government to release "ALL documents" by Friday and accused it of "doing everything to hide the truth."

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a former ally of Donald Trump, also criticized the Justice Department's release of the documents, stating on X that Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche had "grossly" failed to "comply with the law" mandating the release of the Epstein files.