The US Justice Department began releasing millions of new pages on Friday, January 30, from the Jeffrey Epstein files along with photos and videos, adding fuel to the politically explosive case that has dogged President Donald Trump. Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of underage girls. His death was ruled a suicide.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the White House played no role in the review of the extensive files related to the convicted sex offender, a once-close friend of Trump.
“They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what to not redact,” Blanche said at a press conference.
Blanche – who previously served at Trump’s personal lawyer – dismissed suggestions that embarrassing material about the president had been redacted from the more than three million documents, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos being released on Friday.
“We did not protect President Trump,” he said. “We didn’t protect or not protect anybody.”
Trump has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
In a statement accompanying Friday’s file dump, the Justice Department said: “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false.”
‘Wildest party on your island?’
In addition to Trump, the fresh cache of files contains documents that reference other high-profile figures, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson, none of whom have been accused of wrongdoing.
In a draft email among the documents, Epstein alleged Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs. In the mail, Epstein wrote that his relationship with Gates had ranged from “helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women.”
As for Branson, files show friendly relations between the two billionaires. In an email sent to Epstein on September 11, 2013, Branson wrote, “It was really nice seeing you yesterday. The boys in Watersports can’t stop speaking about it! Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!”
The files also contain numerous mail exchanges between Epstein and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. In November 2012, Epstein sent Musk an email asking “how many people will you be for the heli to island.”
“Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk replied.
‘Buckingham Palace’
The disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor invited Epstein to visit him at Buckingham Palace in September 2010 while the financier was making a trip to London.
An email exchange shows Epstein contacting Andrew to ask: “What time would you like me… we will also need… private time.”
Andrew replied: “we could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy.”
Emails show that Epstein and businessman Howard Lutnick – currently Trump’s commerce secretary – made plans in December 2012 to lunch on Epstein’s Caribbean island.
“We are heading towards you from St. Thomas,” Lutnick’s wife wrote to Epstein’s secretary, asking where they should anchor.
Several emails suggested Epstein connected Steve Tisch, 76, producer of the movies Forrest Gump and Risky Business and the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, with multiple women. In one exchange with Tisch, Epstein describes a woman as “Russian, and rarely tells the full truth, but fun.”
Blanche said all images of girls and women were being redacted aside from those of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of trafficking underage girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. However, a statement by survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse claimed identifying information about them still remained in the files, “while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected.”
