Explained: What’s inside the Epstein Files, which powerful names appear in the latest release

A new batch of Epstein-related documents has been made public by the US Justice Department, revealing recognisable names, missing files and widespread redactions that have reignited demands for full transparency.

Washington: Offering fresh glimpses into the people he associated with and the long trail of investigations surrounding his crimes, the United States Department of Justice has released thousands of additional documents linked to the prosecution of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Triggered by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the release includes photographs seized by federal investigators and legal records tied to Epstein and his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell. While several well-known faces are visible in the newly disclosed material, campaigners and lawmakers say large sections of the files are heavily censored. This leaves major questions unanswered.

Advocates behind the transparency law argue that extensive redactions continue to shield critical details. Adding to the controversy, US media organisations reported that at least 16 files that initially appeared online vanished shortly after publication. Among the missing material was a photograph that included President Donald Trump.

The law compelling the disclosure was signed by Trump after the Congress passed it in November. It ordered the Justice Department to release all remaining unclassified records related to Epstein and Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the sex trafficking scheme.

Despite the blacked-out sections, the latest release does contain new information about the scope of Epstein’s network and the failures that allowed him to operate for years. The Justice Department has said more documents will be released in the coming weeks.

What the latest document release reveals

This disclosure points to another chapter in a long-running public reckoning with Epstein’s crimes. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019. Earlier releases, including nearly 950 pages of court records made public in early 2024, had already exposed disturbing details about his conduct and contacts.

One newly released document confirms that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received warnings about Epstein almost a decade before his first arrest. In September 1996, Epstein survivor Maria Farmer reported allegations of child sexual abuse to the FBI. According to the document, no meaningful investigation followed.

Although the complainant’s name is redacted in the official record, Farmer later confirmed it was her complaint. Now in her 50s, she responded to the release with a statement issued through her lawyers.

She said she felt “redeemed” and described the day as “one of the best days of my life”.

“I want everyone to know that I am shedding tears of joy for myself but also tears of sorrow for all the other victims that the FBI failed,” she said.

Grand jury transcripts released as part of the document drop include testimony from FBI agents who interviewed girls and young women about being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. According to local media reports, the youngest interviewee was 14 years old.

One woman testified that Epstein hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and that she later recruited other girls.

“For every girl that I brought to the table, he would give me $200,” she told the grand jury.

She said many of the girls were classmates from high school and that she instructed them to lie about their age if they were under 18, saying, “just lie about it and tell him that you are 18”.

While much of the information has circulated publicly over the years through lawsuits and investigations, the newly released photographs have drawn attention.

Who appears in the newly released photos

The Justice Department disclosed a folder labelled “DOJ Disclosures” containing photographs seized by the FBI during searches of Epstein’s properties in New York City and the US Virgin Islands.

Several images show Epstein along with globally recognised faces. Newly released photos include musicians Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, sometimes pictured with other individuals whose faces are blacked out.

In one image, Jagger is seated between Epstein and former US President Bill Clinton. Another photo shows Jackson standing next to Clinton. A separate image shows Jackson posing with Epstein in front of a painting.

(From the second position on the left, Ghislaine Maxwell can be seen along with Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger and former US President Bill Clinton. Photo: Handout/US Justice Department via Reuters)

Others appearing in the photos include actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Chris Tucker, billionaire Richard Branson, former UK Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, previously known as Prince Andrew, along with his former wife Sarah Ferguson.

One black-and-white photograph shows Andrew lying across the laps of five individuals whose faces are fully redacted, with Maxwell standing behind them.

(Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Photo: Handout/US Justice Department via Reuters)

The Justice Department has not provided explanations or context for the photographs.

Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers who died by suicide in April at age 41, accused Mountbatten-Windsor of sexually abusing her when she was 17. He settled a lawsuit with her in 2022 while continuing to deny the allegation.

Former President Clinton also appears in multiple images. One shows him in a swimming pool with Maxwell and another unidentified individual. Another depicts him in a hot tub with a woman whose face has been redacted.

(From left - Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton and Diana Ross. Photo: Handout/US Justice Department via Reuters)

(Clinton swimming in a pool with Maxwell. Photo: Handout/US Justice Department via Reuters)

(Clinton and a woman are seen in this image from the Epstein estate. Photo: Handout/US Justice Department via Reuters)

Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes. His spokesperson said the release was politically motivated.

“This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they will try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this is not about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” the spokesperson said.

Clinton has previously stated that he cut ties with Epstein before Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor in Florida.

Does Donald Trump appear in the files?

Trump appears only briefly in the released materials, and the few photos that include him have circulated publicly for decades.

One court document released on Friday alleges that Epstein brought a 14-year-old girl to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and introduced her to the incumbent US president.

According to the filing, Epstein elbowed Trump and said, referring to the girl, “This is a good one, right?” Trump smiled and nodded, the document claims.

The unnamed plaintiff in that case does not make a specific allegation against Trump.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded by saying the administration was “the most transparent in history”.

She added that by “recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have”.

Missing files and rising questions

Some documents appear to have vanished shortly after publication. File 468, which showed the inside of a desk drawer containing a photograph of Trump along with Epstein, Melania Trump and Maxwell is no longer accessible.

Other missing files include images of paintings depicting nude women and photographs of cupboards and drawers.

The Associated Press reported that at least 16 files were removed from the Justice Department’s website without explanation.

The department said on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information”.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee separately released 68 photos selected from more than 95,000 images obtained from the Epstein estate. They said the selection was intended to give the public insight into Epstein’s network and activities.

After Friday’s release, Democratic committee members questioned why the image featuring Trump was missing. “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public,” they said.

Why so much is blacked out

Out of the thousands of documents released, at least 550 pages are entirely redacted. One 119-page document labelled “Grand Jury-NY” is fully blacked out, along with three consecutive documents totalling 255 pages.

Campaigners had hoped the release would shed light on how Epstein avoided serious federal charges for decades. Instead, many FBI interviews and internal Justice Department discussions are unreadable.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche explained the redaction process in a six-page letter to the Congress, citing legal requirements to protect victims, ongoing investigations, classified information and privileged communications.

He said material was withheld if it included personally identifiable information about victims, child sexual abuse material, details that could jeopardise investigations or national security information. He also cited deliberative-process, work-product and attorney-client privilege.

What happens next

The Justice Department said more documents will be released in the coming days, though it missed the original deadline set by the law.

Smaller releases followed on Saturday, identifying prosecutors, FBI agents and law enforcement personnel involved in two New York grand juries.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed anger. Representative Thomas Massie said the release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law”. Representative Ro Khanna called it “disappointing” and said, “We are going to push for the actual documents.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of being “hell-bent on hiding the truth”.

Democratic leaders said they are exploring legal options to force further disclosures. The House Oversight Committee has also issued a subpoena for the Epstein files, which could open another path toward compelling their release.

For now, the latest drop has revived public scrutiny, leaving many questions unresolved and the demand for transparency louder than ever.