US shielding elites in partial release of Epstein files, abuse survivors say

Representatives for victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have condemned the US Justice Department for releasing heavily redacted documents related to the dead financier, saying the disclosure falls far short of accountability and transparency. 

US President Donald Trump signed legislation in November mandating the release of the so-called Epstein files, after fighting their release for months despite a campaign pledge to make them public.

However, documents released by the Justice Department on Friday were heavily redacted. 

The files include previously unreleased photographs of former President Bill Clinton with Epstein, as well as a 1996 description of a criminal complaint against the late convicted sex offender.

Despite repeated promises, the Justice Department has largely released material that was already in the public domain, fueling outrage among survivors and advocacy groups.

Thomas Massie, the Republican lawmaker who led the effort to force a vote on the legislation, said the partial release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.”

Some survivors also expressed frustration, saying they struggled to find information related to their own cases. Survivors’ advocates argue that the limited disclosure shields powerful men from scrutiny while denying the victims long-awaited justice.

“There are hundreds of thousands of files to go through, which speaks to how horrendous the Epstein crimes truly are,” said Lauren Hersh, national director of the anti-trafficking nonprofit World Without Exploitation.

“Survivors must be protected, perpetrators exposed, and justice allowed to move forward,” she said. “It’s long overdue for the public to see the full scope of the harm.”

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Backlash intensified in July when the Justice Department and the FBI announced there was no Epstein “client list” and declared that no further disclosures were “appropriate or warranted,” a statement critics described as dismissive and deeply troubling.

The controversy was further inflamed in November when House Democrats released emails indicating Trump was aware of Epstein’s sexual misconduct and had spent time with one of his victims.

The president denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s crimes and rejected all allegations of wrongdoing.

Trump's name was barely mentioned in the documents released on Friday. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also dismissed the claims, saying it was “not news” that Epstein had once been a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. She described the renewed scrutiny as “tired and pathetic attempts to distract from the administration’s success.”

Trump and Epstein were known to have been friends for years before reportedly falling out. Trump has said he barred Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, claiming Epstein “stole” young women who worked there.

Epstein, who was connected to numerous powerful figures, including former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Britain’s Prince Andrew, and Clinton, was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking minors.

Two months later, he was found dead in a New York jail cell. His death was officially ruled a suicide, though the circumstances have fueled years of speculation about his high-profile associates and possible efforts to conceal the full scope of his crimes.

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