On January 30, the US Department of Justice released a new batch of materials related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexually exploiting minors and died in a New York jail in August 2019. The release covers more than three million files, including over two thousand videos and 180,000 images. The department said this was likely the last major disclosure in the case.
The publication was made under the Epstein case transparency law adopted after months of public and political pressure. The Justice Department said information that could identify victims, as well as some material involving child sexual abuse, death and other sensitive matters, was withheld from public access. At the same time, according to ABC News, lawyers for victims say some unredacted identifying information about several women was still included in the files.
References to Trump and other figures
Donald Trump is reportedly mentioned more than 3,000 times in the documents. These references include emails, press clippings and summaries of witness statements. Among the files is a complaint by an anonymous accuser alleging Trump raped her in the 1990s when she was 13; those claims had previously appeared in a 2016 civil lawsuit that was later withdrawn. Trump has denied all accusations, and the Justice Department said some such claims were false and unsubstantiated.
Prince Andrew also appears repeatedly in the new materials. The documents mention his contacts with Epstein, efforts by investigators to secure an interview with him, and separate emails in which Epstein invited him to dinner with a 26-year-old Russian woman in 2010. The files also include information about Elon Musk’s contacts with Epstein regarding trips to Little Saint James, though there is no confirmed evidence that those visits took place. Musk had previously said he declined invitations more than once.
A separate section concerns Bill Gates. The release includes emails Epstein sent to himself in July 2013 in which he made claims about the Microsoft founder’s private life and criticized him for ending their relationship to protect his reputation. After the disclosure, a Gates representative called those claims “completely absurd and entirely false.” US media also highlighted references in the documents to Howard Lutnick and former Obama administration official Kathryn Ruemmler.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the review of the documents had been completed and that the White House did not control the process.