What is Bill Clinton doing there? New pictures from Epstein files published

The release of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice was supposed to create transparency - instead, redacted pages, incomplete documents and political accusations dominate. At the center: former President Bill Clinton - and the conspicuous silence on Donald Trump.

Under pressure from the public and parliament, the US Department of Justice has begun to publish the entire investigation files on the case of the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files include photos and partially redacted documents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). However, representatives of both parties criticized the incomplete publication of the material, some of which includes completely redacted pages.

According to initial evaluations, the documents appeared to contain hardly any new information about the relationship between Epstein and Donald Trump. The US President initially did not comment following the publication. Former President Bill Clinton, however, whom Trump has repeatedly accused in this matter, appears particularly frequently in the published documents.

Abuse of young women and girls

The Epstein case has been a matter of public concern for many years. The influential US multimillionaire from New York ran an abuse ring for years, to which dozens of young women and minors fell victim. Over several years, Epstein is also alleged to have abused underage girls in New York and Florida himself. Epstein died in a prison cell in 2019 at the age of 66.

The financier had excellent contacts in high society, which triggered speculation about the extent of the scandal. A month ago, a law was passed ordering the publication of the files, and the Ministry of Justice released the first large package of data hours before a deadline expired.

Clinton again and again

Time and again, photos of former President Bill Clinton appear in the files that have now been released - for example, swimming in the pool with Epstein's long-time confidante Ghislaine Maxwell. Other photos show the Democrat with no connection to the two.

A spokesman for Clinton, Angel Urena, criticized the publication of the photos as a diversionary manoeuvre by the White House. There are two groups of people, Urena wrote on the X platform. A first group that knew nothing and broke off the relationship with Epstein before his criminal acts came to light. And a second group that continued their relationship with him afterwards. "We belong to the first group." No amount of delaying tactics by people from the second group will change that, he continued.

Trump under pressure

The Republican Trump had repeatedly tried to draw attention to Clinton in recent weeks. He claimed that the latter had been on one of Epstein's private islands. However, Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles contradicted this claim: "There is no evidence of this," she told Vanity Fair magazine.

Trump himself has come under massive pressure over the scandal in recent weeks. He had called for the files to be released during the presidential election campaign, but then balked after taking office. This earned him criticism even from within his own camp. It was only under massive pressure that he signed the law passed by the US parliament in November. Trump knew Epstein well, as previous photos of the two show. However, there is no evidence that the Republican is involved in the scandal.

Huge amounts of data in several parts

From Friday afternoon (local time), the ministry made huge amounts of data available in several parts, which are said to have been part of the investigation. By mid-morning, seven such packages were online. Some of the photos are already known. The ministry does not have to publish documents that are classified as secret. Hundreds of thousands more documents are to be published in the coming weeks, as Deputy Justice Minister Todd Blanche explained on Fox News shortly beforehand. According to him, pages must be redacted before publication to protect the identity of the victims.

However, the new law also stipulates that the Department of Justice must provide Congress with a report within 15 days of full publication, which justifies all redactions and includes a list of all government employees and politically relevant persons who appear in the documents.

An initial overview of the documents

* Photos with Epstein and Maxwell: Pictures often show two people - the millionaire and his confidante. Maxwell was convicted in 2022. According to the verdict, she had played a central role in setting up a sexual abuse ring and is now in prison. Footage shows the two of them partying, for example.

* Photos of home and travel: Many pictures show Epstein and Maxwell traveling. The files also include photos of Epstein's home in New York. These include staircases, a workplace with many screens, filing cabinets, sex toys, bathrooms, sports equipment and closets.

* Documents: There are many logs, ranging from print orders, statements of claim, interrogation transcripts and an FBI checklist to lists that show little else except the time and date.

The Ministry provided no explanation or clarification of the files. Names that have already appeared in connection with the Epstein affair also appear in some of the documents. These include the former British Prince Andrew, who had contact with Epstein, fell into disrepute as a result and recently had to relinquish his aristocratic titles. A black and white photo is said to show him lying on a couch laughing over the lap of several people. Behind him is Epstein's assistant Maxwell, next to her a woman. The faces of other people are blacked out.

What cannot be seen at first

An initial inspection did not reveal any images of sexual abuse or other crimes. By law, the Ministry of Justice may continue to withhold such images and documents.

Files which, according to the law, represent a "clearly unjustified invasion of privacy" can also be exempted. The publication of information that would jeopardize possible federal investigations or court proceedings, or whose secrecy is in the interests of national defence or foreign policy, can also be stopped.

The authenticity of the photos could not initially be independently verified. It also remained unclear what methodology was used to select the thousands of photos. When the photos were taken, by whom they were taken and where the Ministry of Justice obtained them also remained unclear at first.

Criticism of gaps and redactions

The initiators of the law for the publication of the investigation files accused the Department of Justice of withholding information. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said in a video published on X that a 119-page document with witness statements had been completely blacked out without any explanation. They want a complete release of the investigation files. Khanna received support from Republican Thomas Massie, among others, who had initiated the legislative initiative together with the Democrat.

Written with agency material