US Department of Justice publishes the first part of the 'Epstein files'

The Justice Department has published on its website the first part of the so-called 'Epstein files', the still confidential documents relating to the investigation into the former financier's sex trafficking. The publication by today was required by a Congressional law enacted by President Trump.

"In view of the deadline set by Congress, all reasonable efforts have been made to review and redact personal information relating to victims and other private citizens, as well as to protect sensitive materials from disclosure," the Justice Department's website reads. "However, due to the enormous amount of information involved, this website may unintentionally contain non-public, personally identifiable information or other sensitive content, including topics of a sexual nature. If any user encounters information that should not have been published, please report it to us immediately at EFTA@usdoj.gov so that we can take action to correct the problem as soon as possible," the note accompanying the files reads. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had anticipated that 'hundreds of thousands' of documents would be published today and that more would follow in the coming weeks.

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that during the examination of documents in the case of Jeffrey Esptein, more than 1,200 victims were identified, whose names have been blacked out or omitted. "In addition to blacking out the names of these victims, we have also censored and are not releasing any material that would allow their identification," Blanche wrote in a note to US media.

The documents on Jeffrey Epstein include hundreds of photos, many never seen before. This is reported by the American media, pointing out that among the pictures are shots of Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on holiday. The media note that the pictures were published without any context and are therefore difficult to interpret. Also among the papers are some censored telephone recordings, which do not, however, make it clear who is talking to whom.

The release of the confidential files of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation demonstrates the Trump administration's 'transparency'. This was claimed by White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement in which she said that 'the Trump administration is the most transparent in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee's subpoena, and President Trump's recent request for further investigations into Epstein's Democratic friends, the Trump Administration has done more for victims than any Democrat ever has. And while President Trump is delivering on his promises, Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Stacey Plaskett have yet to explain why they solicited money and meetings from Epstein after he was convicted of sex crimes. The American people deserve answers."