Trickle release of Epstein files on a Friday signals move to bury Trump ties | Jeffrey Epstein
The justice department’s partial release of the Epstein files on Friday signaled how the agency used a variety of tactics to conceal and conceal Donald Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
As the department gears up for a legally mandated Friday deadline to release its files, little has been revealed about what it plans to release. There appeared to be no doubt that the department would release the files late Friday afternoon, resorting to Washington’s usual trick of hiding bad news before the weekend.
Then Friday morning, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche went on Fox News to say the department would not be releasing all the files on Friday, as required by law. “I think we’ll be releasing more documents in the next few weeks, so a couple hundred thousand today, a couple hundred thousand more in the next few weeks,” Blanche told Fox News. “There are a lot of eyes looking at these things, and we want to make sure that we protect every single victim when we produce the materials that we produce.”
When the department finally released thousands of pages of material Friday evening — not the hundreds of thousands of pages Blanche had promised — most of the documents had been largely or completely redacted. Despite Attorney General Pam Bondi, there was no mention of Trump in the materials other than a few photos. It is said that Trump’s name was in the files earlier this year.
The statement underscores that the Trump administration is trying to balance both the demand for the release of the files (something largely encouraged by Maga’s base) and to create confusion by slowly dumping documents to avoid any embarrassment on Trump’s part. who was a friend They were together for years before falling out with Epstein. Blanche said the department will continue to produce documents on an ongoing basis in the coming weeks (holiday period); This means Americans will ignore the story the longer it goes on.
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who supported legislation to release the files, was one of many members of Congress to express outrage. HE he said on Twitter that the eviction “substantially failed” to comply with the law.
The justice department did not immediately return a request for comment.
“The Trump Administration is the most transparent administration in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s fellow Democrats, the Trump Administration has done more for victims than Democrats have ever done,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Epstein Files Transparency ActThe law mandating the release of the materials requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to submit a report within 15 days of publication detailing all categories of records and a summary of the corrections made and their legal basis. It is unclear whether this report will be delayed, as records will be released on an ongoing basis.
While Trump barely appeared at Friday’s announcement, Bill Clinton appears in a few photos. Daily Wire, a Trump-friendly site achieved A photo of Clinton and Epstein on Thursday, the day before it was released. Among those published Friday were photos of Clinton lounging in the pool and jacuzzi. Justice Department and White House spokespeople quickly highlighted the images on Twitter.
“Dear Democratic president. The black box was added to protect the victim,” Justice Department spokesman Gates McGavick said. published alongside Photo of Clinton with another person with her face corrected in what looked like a jacuzzi. White House communications director Steven Cheung said posted another photo An image of Clinton with her face corrected and a quote from Drake and Future’s song Jumpman, with the caption “they’re up to something”.
Clinton spokeswoman Angel Ureña said Friday that the Trump administration is using the former president to distance himself from Trump’s connection to Epstein.
“The White House hasn’t kept these files for months, only to distribute them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about what happens next, or what they will try to hide forever,” he said. “So they can release photos that are over 20 years old all they want, but this is not about Bill Clinton. It never was, it never will be.”
Other celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Richard Branson, Chris Tucker, David Copperfield and Kevin Spacey also appeared in the images released on Friday. Like Clinton, none have been charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein. But their immediate appearance in the files benefits Trump and creates the impression that it’s not unusual for famous men to hang out with Epstein.
Meanwhile, the strategy has not appeased Democrats on Capitol Hill. The party’s leadership publicly condemned the limited release, and some calls emerged for Bondi to be sacked. US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “Now the cover-up has been exposed. This is not over yet.” wrote “Bondi should resign tonight” on X
