US Justice Department posted 3,500 Epstein files on its website
The new document dump was massive and included more than 3.5 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said during a press conference.
The release includes “large quantities of commercial pornography and images that were seized from Epstein’s devices,” some of which were taken by Epstein, Blanche said.
Blanche also pushed back on the idea that the DOJ has a secret list of names of men associated with Epstein who abused women. He also insisted the DOJ was not trying to shield President Donald Trump, who had once been close friends with Epstein.
“We did not protect President Trump,” Blanche said. “We didn’t protect or not protect anybody.”
In addition to being enormous in quantity, the new Epstein material released Friday was late.
The DOJ missed a December deadline to turn over all the unclassified documents, with certain exceptions, required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law Nov. 19 by Trump and gave Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to release all of the department’s Epstein files.
That law also requires the agency to explain any redactions to Congress.
Earlier in December, the DOJ posted some 3,500 files on its website that included court documents, correspondence and dozens of photos that had previously not been made public.
Some of that material appeared to be sexual in nature and was redacted. Others were marked CSAM, which stands for “child sex abuse material.”
Epstein was charged in 2019 in Manhattan federal court with sex trafficking of minors, many of whom he allegedly preyed on while they were performing massages on him. He died behind bars while awaiting trial and his death was ruled a suicide.
In the files that were released in December, there are several photos of Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell on what appear to be trips or vacations with others.
Epstein surrounded himself with rich and influential people and was friends for many years with Trump before the Manhattan mogul was elected president.
