Epstein files released: What they reveal — and what they redact

Here are five takeaways from the first batch of files.

Extensive redactions; no major revelations

The new documents include Federal Bureau of Investigation files from the Epstein and Maxwell cases, photographs and other evidence. However, they do not provide much additional information about Epstein’s association with wealthy businessmen, celebrities, and politicians.

Notably, the documents carried extensive redactions. For instance, one of the redacted files, amounting to 119 pages and called “Grand Jury NY,” was completely blacked out. The redactions were also inconsistent, with the same content being redacted at one place but not at another.

Heavy dose of Bill Clinton

The documents comprised never-before-released pictures of former President Bill Clinton. At least two show him in a swimming pool, including alongside Maxwell. In many photographs, Clinton is the only person whose identity could be ascertained.

The former President was also seen with a woman wearing a white camisole. The woman couldn’t be identified, as her face was redacted. The files provided little or no context for the images.

A spokesperson of Clinton, in a statement, said that the former President had cut off ties with Epstein long before his crimes came under the spotlight. “They can release as many 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton… This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever,” the spokesperson said.

Few appearances of Trump

In more than 13,000 files that have been released, President Trump’s name and appearance barely show up. This despite the fact that he is known to have spent a lot of time socialising with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, including at widely attended parties.

Most of the pictures of Trump released on Friday had already been made public. The President’s name appeared in Epstein’s phone and message books and on flight manifests, as it has before, and in depositions by others, according to a report by CNN.

Some celebrity cameos

The new documents have the widest assortment of celebrities seen in an Epstein file release so far. For instance, some images show Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, and Diana Ross. In other pictures, Epstein is seen across a table from famous newsman Walter Cronkite.

However, these images do not reveal whether these celebrities knew about Epstein’s illicit activities. They just showcased the fact that the sex offender had the remarkable ability to attract attention from the rich and famous.

More files to come

As mentioned before, the Justice Department has said that it is not finished releasing files about Epstein. Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, told Fox News on Friday that thousands more would be made public “in the coming weeks”.

This means that the Trump administration would violate the law (read about it here) signed by the President last month, which ordered the complete release of all unclassified materials about Epstein in the Justice Department’s possession within 30 days, with limited exceptions.

“The legislation also allows the Justice Department to withhold records if they are otherwise classified or would “jeopardise an active federal investigation,”” according to a report by The New York Times.