Trump administration begins releasing hundreds of thousands of documents related to Epstein scandal Friday

The US Department of Justice on Friday began releasing long-awaited documents from the investigation into the case of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that could have political implications.

The records are expected to shed light on Epstein’s relationships with business leaders, celebrities and politicians, including President Donald Trump.

But it remains unclear how the published documents were chosen, given that the Trump administration fully oversees the process.

The vast collection of documents included seven pages containing the names of 254 masseurs that were completely withheld under the pretext of protecting potential victim information.

It also included several previously unreleased images, including one showing former President Bill Clinton looking younger lying in a hot tub, with part of the image hidden by a black rectangle.

Another photo shows Clinton swimming with a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein’s partner, Gillian Maxwell.

Trump’s name appears in a communications book found in the files, but it’s unclear to whom the notebook returns.

Trump, who was a close friend of Epstein, has been delaying for months to block the release of records related to the investigation into the sex offender who was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage.

But the Republican president eventually bowed to pressure from Congress, including from lawmakers from his own party, and signed a law last month requiring the documents to be released.

Congress gave the administration until Friday to release the records.

“I expect to release hundreds of thousands of documents today,” Justice Department senior official Todd Blanche told Fox News on Friday, adding that hundreds of thousands of additional documents would be released in the coming weeks.

Blanche stressed that the department has full authority to withhold names and sensitive information, and the documents will be partially amended to protect hundreds of Jeffrey Epstein victims.

The former personal lawyer for Donald Trump also indicated that he doesn’t expect any new indictments to be issued in the scandal that has been rocking the United States for years.

The decision to release the documents in phases angered Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who noted that the law is quite clear and requires the government to disclose all documents by midnight, not just part of them.

“This simply makes it clear that the Justice Department, Donald Trump and (Attorney General Pam Bundy) want to do everything in their power to hide the truth” about the scandal, Schumer said in a statement.

This moment carries enormous personal and political sensitivity for Trump.

The president was a close friend of Epstein, frequenting the same social circles in Palm Beach and New York during the 1990s, and appearing at parties together for years.

Trump broke off ties with Epstein years before his arrest in 2019 and hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing in the case.

But his right-wing base has long shown considerable interest in the Epstein case and conspiracy theories about him overseeing a sex trafficking network for the world’s elite.

Although he campaigned in 2024 promising full transparency on the issue, Donald Trump has long lagged behind on his promise, calling the case a hoax orchestrated by the Democratic opposition and urging Americans to turn the page.

In July, the Justice Department and the FBI announced that they had found no new item that would justify the release of additional documents or the initiation of new prosecutions.

The announcement has angered hardline Trump supporters, who chant “Make America Great Again,” short for “MAGA”.

Trump then fought a battle with Congress over efforts to release the records.

Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner, is the only person convicted in the case, though Trump supporters have believed for years that a slew of Democratic politicians, the deep state and Hollywood stars were complicit in him.

Maxwell, (63), is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein, whose death was considered a suicide.

For the public and victims, the publication of the files is an opportunity to shine a light on the scandal.

The published records may explain how Epstein worked, who helped him, and why prosecutors delayed for years before indictments.