Paperwork within the rolling launch of the Justice Division’s information on Jeffrey Epstein have but to present proof of wrongdoing on the a part of well-known, highly effective males, towards the expectations of a lot of those that pushed for the information’ launch.
The DOJ stated the information, which included a trove of images and courtroom data, wouldn’t be absolutely launched on Friday, regardless of a law mandating doing so, as a result of vetting course of required to guard Epstein’s victims.
Democratic lawmakers pushed again on the partial nature of the discharge, which included minimal references to President Donald Trump. Critics of Trump have speculated concerning the diploma to which the president, who had a friendship with Epstein till that they had a falling out round 2004, seems within the Epstein information, whereas Trump has accused a number of well-known Democrats of getting ties to the disgraced financier.
Democrat California Rep. Ro Khanna, a co-author of the Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act, posted a video on X explaining why the DOJ launch “doesn’t comply” with the regulation.
“Our regulation requires them to elucidate redactions. There may be not a single clarification,” Khanna stated.
Deputy Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche, in an interview with ABC Information on Friday, stated there was “no effort” to redact Trump’s title from the discharge and that each doc that mentions Trump can be launched within the coming weeks, “assuming it is in keeping with the regulation.”
First criticism to FBI was made years earlier than probe
Among the many new items of data launched Friday was a criticism to the FBI about Epstein that was filed years earlier than he was first investigated for little one intercourse abuse.
The doc seems to be first recognized report back to federal regulation enforcement that Epstein was concerned in little one sexual exploitation: a September 1996 criticism filed with the FBI’s Miami workplace accusing Epstein of collaborating in “little one pornography,” greater than eight years earlier than the primary regulation enforcement investigation into Epstein was launched.
Jeffrey Epstein is seen on this picture launched by the Division of Justice in Washington, December 19, 2025.
U.S. Justice Division
The complainant, Maria Farmer, stated that she was knowledgeable artist and took photos of her youthful sisters, age 12 and 16, for private use, and alleged that Epstein stole the photographs and negatives, and that he could have “bought the photographs to potential patrons.”
The criticism says Epstein additionally requested that she “take photographs of younger women at swimming swimming pools” and that Epstein threatened her and stated he would “burn her home down” if she informed anybody concerning the photographs.
Farmer, whose title was redacted from the paperwork, confirmed to ABC Information Friday that she was the complainant. In an interview in 2019, Farmer informed ABC Information that she had gone to the FBI in 1996 after first reporting Epstein’s conduct to police in New York. Earlier this yr, Farmer filed a criticism towards the federal authorities alleging that the FBI had didn’t comply with up on her criticism, with “wide-ranging penalties.” Till Friday, she had by no means seen the 2006 report that was launched by the DOJ.
Talking to ABC Information by cellphone following the supplies’ launch, she stated, “I am simply actually grateful. I am lastly in a position to be vindicated. I really feel redeemed.”
“And I am barely shocked that they’ve launched something. I did not anticipate it,” Farmer stated.
Brad Edwards, an legal professional who has represented over 200 alleged victims of Epstein in civil litigation, had harsh phrases for the federal government’s first disclosure from the Epstein information, contending that paperwork crucial to understanding the federal government’s dealing with of Epstein investigations weren’t but produced.
“The place is Marie Villafaña’s prosecution memo and draft indictment?” Edwards stated in a message to ABC Information late Friday. Villafaña — the federal prosecutor who led the investigation of Epstein for the U.S. legal professional’s workplace in Miami — had ready an 83-page memo and a 60-count draft indictment of Epstein in Could of 2007, however it was by no means filed and by no means made public as a result of her superiors opted to barter a cope with Epstein moderately than pursue the indictment. These paperwork ready by Villafaña — which might make clear the federal government’s choices to forgo prosecution — was not present in Friday’ disclosure by the DOJ, based on a evaluate of the information by ABC Information.
“There isn’t any excuse that it has not been launched,” Edwards stated.
Edwards additionally stated that when he noticed that Farmer’s 1996 FBI criticism was included within the disclosure, he was angered — as a result of so a few years had passed by whereas Farmer, her attorneys and journalists relentlessly pursued the documentation to show she had reported Epstein all these years in the past.
“Each single one who has recognized about Maria Farmer’s criticism and pretended prefer it didn’t exist or refused to offer it in response to FOIA requests, or made it seem to be she was mistaken or had by no means reported it, ought to be investigated and punished. And, actually, Maria ought to be compensated for the best way the federal government has behaved towards her for this a few years. The truth that she made that report doesn’t even present up within the [Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility] report in any respect,” Edwards stated, referring to a 2020 internal DOJ investigation of the federal government’s dealing with of Epstein investigations.
“It’s thoughts blowing that this many changing-of-the-guard authorities actors would conceal a single doc as highly effective as Maria’s criticism of kid pornography towards Epstein,” Edwards stated.
Clinton camp pushes again
The preliminary launch of the information contained quite a few photographs of Epstein touring with Invoice Clinton, together with photos of Clinton lounging in a jacuzzi and one among him swimming with Epstein affiliate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The pictures have been launched with none context or background data and sparked a backlash from Clinton’s camp.
“The White Home hasn’t been hiding these information for months solely to dump them late on a Friday solely to guard Invoice Clinton,” Clinton’s spokesperson Angel Urena stated Friday. “They’ll launch as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photographs as they need, however this is not about Invoice Clinton.”
“Everybody, particularly MAGA, expects solutions, not scapegoats,” the spokesperson stated.
Flight logs from Epstein’s personal jets made public throughout civil litigation towards Epstein confirmed that Clinton and his entourage had taken 4 worldwide sojourns in 2002 and 2003 on Epstein’s Boeing 727 to areas together with Bangkok, Brunei, Rwanda, Russia, China and elsewhere.
Former President Invoice Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein seem on this picture launched by the Division of Justice in Washington, December 19, 2025.
U.S. Justice Division
Maxwell, who’s presently serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and grooming the underage women whom Epstein sexually abused, was listed as a passenger on every of these journeys, recognized within the flight logs by the initials “GM.”
The full variety of flight “legs” that included Clinton is 26, based on the logs, although a lot of these legs have been elements of the identical worldwide journeys. Clinton’s final recognized journey on Epstein’s aircraft was in November 2003, based on the logs. The primary experiences that Epstein was beneath investigation in Florida for alleged sexual exploitation of minors surfaced in 2005.
“President Clinton is aware of nothing of concerning the horrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded responsible to,” Urena stated in an earlier assertion.
Different new photographs and redacted materials launched
Friday’s launch consists of hundreds of newly launched photographs, a few of that are graphic and closely redacted with black packing containers over faces and physique elements. Notations on some redacted pictures point out that they weren’t scanned attributable to their being little one sexual abuse materials.
The discharge additionally seems to include pictures from Epstein’s 50th birthday party in January 2003, a lot of which include pictures of different people who find themselves obscured by black packing containers.
A whole lot of photographs taken throughout what seems to be a 2019 FBI search of Epstein’s palatial townhouse in New York Metropolis present lavishly-appointed residing quarters — full with chandeliers, a number of bedrooms, a house gymnasium and a taxidermy tiger — and a room the place the central piece of furnishings seems to be a therapeutic massage desk.
Pictures depicting the outside of the house present the steel initials “J E” mounted on the stone doorway. The surface picket door has been broken.
On the partitions of the therapeutic massage desk room are photographs and work of nude girls; on the cabinets are bottles of lotion, Astroglide and different lubricant. A small facet desk holds a corded cellphone proper subsequent to the therapeutic massage desk.
Different pictures present rows of framed images and picture albums on high of a big desk, in addition to a drawer. A few of them present well-known figures, reminiscent of a beforehand launched picture of Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Epstein and Maxwell, in addition to one beforehand launched of Epstein and Steve Bannon taking a selfie within the mirror, this time framed on a shelf. Others present girls posing and smiling in bathing fits. Others, reminiscent of a photograph of what look like two younger females carrying matching outfits and with their arms round Epstein, have their faces blacked out.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are seen on this picture launched by the Division of Justice in Washington, December 19, 2025.
U.S. Justice Division through Reuters
Pictures of opened closets within the dwelling present an array of coats and robes. There are additionally some pictures that present opened drawers containing what look like sexual paraphernalia. Different pictures present further objects laid out, together with condoms and a number of other costumes that seem to resemble schoolgirl uniforms. One costume says “Child” and “Cry” throughout two entrance pockets.
Among the many information are additionally a whole bunch of pages of thumbnail images, together with pictures of accompanying CD and DVD discs. Some embrace labels of areas reminiscent of “AFRICA SEPT.02”, “ALHAMBRA SPAIN 03” or occasions reminiscent of “JE 50TH BD” or “LSJ XMAS 05”. Lots of the photographs embrace Epstein and Maxwell each individually and collectively. Complete pages of photographs are blacked out. There are additionally paperwork that say “CSAM NOT SCANNED” indicating that these pictures have been withheld from disclosure by the DOJ as a result of they contained potential little one intercourse abuse materials.
Later Friday evening, the DOJ launched an extra batch of data containing pictures of varied boxed-up objects of proof seized in the course of the investigations of Epstein and Maxwell. Among the many pictures is one among a number of manilla folders and envelopes laid out — one among which is labeled in black marker, “Maxwell Safety Footage.” The context of what footage is contained in that proof is unclear.
Different pictures embrace quite a few photographs of laborious drives, thumbnails, CDs and boxed-up supplies.
There may be additionally a picture of a inexperienced folding therapeutic massage desk wrapped in a sheer plastic cowl, resembling the one that may later be arrange in entrance of the jury in the course of the Maxwell trial proceedings.
Along with newly launched supplies, the paperwork embrace many information that had beforehand been launched, together with paperwork from greater than 50 civil and prison instances involving Epstein and Maxwell.
The discharge additionally consists of the complete, 354-page textual content of the 1999 version of the e-book “Therapeutic massage for Dummies.”
The DOJ confronted a Friday deadline for the discharge of all remaining Epstein information after Congress final month handed the Epstein Files Transparency Act following the blowback the administration obtained in search of the discharge of the supplies.
Blanche, in his interview with ABC Information, stated that the discharge of the information will proceed past the Friday deadline as a result of division’s obligations to the victims.
“The regulation may be very particular that the Division of Justice is required to ensure that we shield victims,” he stated. “And as lately as Wednesday, we discovered of further sufferer names, and so we have obtained over 1,200 names of victims and their members of the family since we began this course of. And so there’s a longtime precedent that in a state of affairs like this the place it is in essence unattainable for us to adjust to the regulation at the moment, that we that we adjust to the regulation in keeping with the regulation.”
The Justice Division and FBI announced in July that they might be releasing no further Epstein information, after a number of high officers — together with Patel and outgoing FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino — had, previous to becoming a member of the administration, accused the federal government of protecting data concerning the Epstein case.
The Senate subsequently voted to accepted the Epstein transparency invoice handed by the Home, after which President Donald Trump signed it into law.
Epstein owned two personal islands within the Virgin Islands and huge properties in New York Metropolis, New Mexico and Palm Seaside, Florida, the place he got here beneath investigation for allegedly luring minor women to his seaside dwelling for massages that turned sexual. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for intercourse crimes expenses after reaching a controversial non-prosecution settlement with the U.S. legal professional’s workplace in Miami.
In 2019, prosecutors with the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York indicted Epstein on expenses that he “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor women at his properties in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Seaside, Florida, amongst different areas,” utilizing money funds to recruit a “huge community of underage victims,” a few of whom have been as younger as 14 years outdated.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 whereas awaiting trial.
ABC Information’ Lauren Peller, John Parkinson, Ely Brown, Elizabeth Thomas, Luke Barr, Armando Garcia and Will Steakin contributed to this report.
