"Something or someone is being protected" Bill Clinton demands release of all Epstein files

Bill Clinton reacts to the publication of the Epstein files and demands: The rest must also be released. The former president is conspicuously often seen in photos.

On Friday, the US Department of Justice published thousands of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case shortly before the deadline. Former President Bill Clinton can often be seen in the photos. Shortly after the publication, he let it be known via his spokesperson that it was a diversionary maneuver by the White House.

Now the ex-president is following up. He is calling for the publication of all files relating to the Epstein affair. It must be clearly disclosed which documents the state possesses and why not all of them have been released.

"What the Department of Justice has released so far and how it has done so makes it clear that someone or something is being protected," Clinton said via his spokesman Angel Ureña.

If the government does not release the documents, this would feed the suspicion that the Department of Justice is not concerned with transparency, but with suspicion. According to Ureña, the selective release of the files would only serve to imply misconduct on individuals who have been repeatedly exonerated by the Justice Department of both governments.

Chief of staff contradicts Trump

Former President Bill Clinton, whom Trump has repeatedly accused in the Epstein case, appears particularly frequently in the published documents. He appears again and again in photos - for example, swimming in the pool with Maxwell. In other photos, the Democrat can be seen with no reference to the two.

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed that Clinton was on Epstein's private island. However, even Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles contradicted this account.

Victims' lawyer criticizes redactions

The way in which the Epstein files were published triggered massive criticism in some quarters. In particular, the many redactions were criticized. The Ministry of Justice justified itself in particular with the protection of possible victims.

According to victim advocate John Scarola, however, the US Department of Justice did not comply with the requirements of Congress. "This is a partial disclosure. But the main problem is the redactions," Scarola told Der Spiegel. The lawyer represents several victims of the sex offender Epstein.

"From everything I have seen so far, I am convinced that the documents have been redacted to an excessive extent," Scarola said. Redactions are necessary in justifiable cases - to protect the privacy of the victims and the presumption of innocence of suspected perpetrators who are not yet publicly known. "Nevertheless, the extent of these redactions goes far beyond anything I consider justified," explains Scarola.