The US Justice Department on Friday began publishing a long-awaited trove of records from investigations into the politically explosive case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein -- though many files were redacted.
Among the material are multiple photographs showing former Democratic president Bill Clinton and other high-profile figures, including Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, in Epstein's company.
The heavy blacking-out of large sections of the documents -- combined with tight control by officials in President Donald Trump's administration over the release -- has fueled doubts over whether the disclosure will finally quiet long-running conspiracy theories of a high-level cover-up.
The files are nevertheless expected to illuminate the disgraced financier's close connections with the rich, famous and powerful, including Trump.
The vast disclosure included seven pages listing 254 masseuses -- every name obscured beneath thick black bars and the explanation "redacted to protect potential victim information."
Another file contains dozens of censored images showing naked or scantily clad figures. Others show Epstein and companions, their faces obscured, with firearms.
Previously unseen photographs include one showing a younger-looking Clinton reclining in a hot tub, part of the image obscured by a stark black rectangle.
In another, Clinton is pictured swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The White House jumped on the Clinton appearances.
"Slick Willy! @BillClinton just chillin, without a care in the world. Little did he know…" Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X.
"Oh my!" added Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.Â
Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, fought for months to prevent the release of the records related to the investigation of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The Republican president eventually caved to pressure from Congress, including from his own party, and signed a law last month compelling publication of the materials.
Friday was the deadline set by Congress for release of the records.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said several hundred thousand documents would be released on Friday and many more in the coming weeks.
Prosecutors have the latitude to withhold material related to active investigations and Blanche said the files will also be redacted to protect the identities of Epstein's hundreds of victims. He also said "no new charges" were due.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the partial release as "a cover up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past."
- 'Democrat hoax' -
Trump was once a close friend of Epstein, moving in the same Palm Beach and New York social circles in the 1990s and appearing together at parties for years. Trump severed ties with Epstein years before the 2019 arrest and is not accused of wrongdoing in the case.
But his right-wing base has long been obsessed by the Epstein saga and conspiracy theories that the financier oversaw a sex trafficking ring for the world's elite.
Running for the White House, Trump promised to release all the files.
Yet after returning to office, Trump dismissed the push for transparency as a "Democrat hoax."
Trump's FBI and Justice Department triggered a political furor in July with a memo stating that there would be no further disclosures of evidence from the Epstein probe.
The memo said there was "no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions" or had a "client list."
Trump then fought Congress over its drive to get the records out in public, only relenting in the face of a populist revolt.
- Ghislaine Maxwell -
Epstein's former girlfriend Maxwell is the only person convicted in connection with Epstein, a fact that fuels the belief among Trump's base of a cover-up.
Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein, whose death was ruled a suicide.
For the public and victims, the release of the files marks the clearest opportunity yet to shed light on the scandal.
The newly released records could clarify how Epstein operated, who assisted him and why prosecutors stalled for years before bringing charges against him.
cl/sms
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