The US Department of Justice has released two new batches of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, but the partial and heavily redacted nature of the files has sparked accusations of a cover-up. The release, which includes court documents from past cases against Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, has been criticised for obscuring Donald Trump's connections to the disgraced financier.
Among the most controversial aspects is a 119-page document labelled Grand Jury-NY, likely from a federal sex-trafficking investigation, which is entirely blacked out. Additionally, at least 16 files have disappeared from the DOJ's public webpage, including a photograph showing Trump alongside Epstein, Melania Trump, and Maxwell. The DOJ has not explained the removals.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that documents will be released on a rolling basis in the coming weeks, a move critics say is designed to bury the story during the holiday period. Democrats on the House oversight committee have accused the DOJ of taking down the photo of Trump, with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer calling the handling of the release possibly 'one of the biggest cover-ups in American history'.
Virginia Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, expressed 'mixed feelings' about the release, asking: 'What are we hiding here?' Representative Summer Lee described the redactions as 'an absolute mockery of the survivors of Epstein's abuse and the American people'. The DOJ remains under a subpoena to release full, unredacted files to the Oversight Committee.
