A group of alleged victims of deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is blasting the Trump administration for failing to release all of the federal government’s files on Epstein last week to comply with a congressionally-imposed deadline.
Speaking through their lawyers, 19 women, including two Jane Does, criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the files, especially the information it chose to redact in the documents.
“Instead, the public received a fraction of the files, and what we received was riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation,” the statement reads. “At the same time, numerous victim identities were left unredacted, causing real and immediate harm.”
Upon releasing the files last Friday, the Justice Department indicated further releases will come in the next few weeks. Some of the heavily-redacted documents in the initial release were subsequently disclosed with more information made available.
“No financial documents were released,” the statement adds. “We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased,” it continues.
“These are clear-cut violations of an unambiguous law.”
The alleged Epstein victims slammed the administration for failing to release financial documents and fully redacting 119 pages of grand jury testimony. The Justice Department released Saturday a largely unredacted, 119-page document of grand jury proceedings from the case against Epstein’s longtime partner, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
“Photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information,” the Justice Deparment said in a statement Saturday.
The initial document dump featured hundreds of photos of Epstein and his friends, call logs, and other records relevant to Epstein’s sex trafficking. Former President Bill Clinton is pictured in several of the photos, including a picture with his arm around a mystery woman whose face is redacted. A spokesman for Clinton dismissed the photos as an attempt by the White House to protect themselves. Clinton’s camp has come out in favor of releasing all of the remaining Epstein files. Clinton is one of the prominent Democrats Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate over his past friendship with the deceased financier.
Pop legend Michael Jackson, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and billionaire Richard Branson could also be seen in newly released pictures. Other disturbing photos contained in the DOJ’s files show images of Epstein cuddling with young girls.
Representative Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), a leading crusader for the release of the Epstein files, said another set of documents will be released Monday afternoon. Khanna and his Republican colleague, Representative Thomas Massie (Ky.), were central to the bipartisan legislation passed in November requiring the Trump administration to disclose all of the Epstein files in 30 days. Both lawmakers have strongly criticized the Justice Department for only releasing some of the Epstein files in its possession. Additional Democratic lawmakers also lambasted the Trump administration for failing to release all of the Epstein files on time.
“Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring,” said Representatives Jamie Raskin (D., Md.) and Robert Garcia (D., Calif.), the top Democrats on the Judiciary and Oversight committees.
Trump has dismissed the Epstein files as a “hoax” peddled by the Democratic Party. Epstein and Trump were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has never been credibly accused of wrongdoing during his friendship with Epstein. A photo showing Trump in the Epstein files was removed from the Justice Department’s database over the weekend and subsequently restored following intense backlash.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” the Justice Department said in a statement Sunday.
The Epstein files became a thorn in the administration’s side earlier this year when the Justice Department chose not to release them. The resulting outcry from across the political spectrum brought fresh scrutiny to Epstein’s sexual abuse and Trump’s relationship with Epstein. The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into the Epstein files over the summer with public scrutiny mounting over Republican leaders. Over the past several months, the panel has released a trove of documents from Epstein’s estate and interviewed key figures.