WASHINGTON — Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein accused authorities of failing to identify alleged abusers after the U.S. government released more than three million pages of documents related to the convicted sex offender on Friday.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the White House had no involvement in the Justice Department’s review of the files, despite Epstein’s past association with President Donald 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 during a news conference.
The Justice Department stated that some documents contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump that had been submitted to the FBI before the 2020 presidential election. Blanche rejected suggestions that embarrassing material about the president had been removed from the files.
“We did not protect President Trump,” he said, noting that the release included at least 180,000 images and 2,000 videos. He added that all images of girls and women were redacted except those of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction for trafficking underage girls for Epstein.
A letter signed by 19 survivors, some using aliases or initials, argued that identifying details about victims remained visible while “the men who abused us remain hidden and protected.” The group called for the full release of the files and urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to address the issue during congressional testimony scheduled for next month.
Epstein, a wealthy financier with connections to prominent figures, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Authorities ruled his death a suicide.
The newly released documents mention several high-profile individuals, including Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and former Prince Andrew. Previous disclosures had already detailed Epstein’s ties to business leaders, celebrities, academics and politicians, including former President Bill Clinton.
In one draft email included in the latest release, Epstein alleged that Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs, a claim the Gates Foundation denied in a statement to The New York Times. Another document showed a 2012 email exchange in which Musk asked Epstein, “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk later said on his X platform that the correspondence could be misinterpreted and called for the prosecution of those who committed serious crimes with Epstein.
Other emails showed Epstein connecting film producer and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch with multiple women. Former Prince Andrew, who lost his royal titles over his ties to Epstein, also appeared in a document inviting Epstein to Buckingham Palace in 2010 after Epstein proposed introducing him to a Russian woman.
