How we got herepublished at 19:41 GMT 20 December
19:41 GMT 20 December
Image source, Reuters
The investigation into Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein reached a plea deal with prosecutors in 2008, after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter.
Photos of girls were found throughout the house, and he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. He escaped a heavy jail sentence as a result of the deal.
Eleven years later, he was charged with running a network of underage girls for sex. He died in prison while awaiting trial and his death was ruled a suicide.
Why have the files been released now?
Pressure has been building for months from across the political spectrum for more transparency.
After initially resisting calls for the files’ release, Trump reversed course and urged Republicans to support disclosure of the records.
Congress then passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the justice department to release investigative material related to Epstein by 19 December.
Partial release of ‘the Epstein files’
A large collection of documents, including court and telephone
records and images, was uploaded on Friday night to the US Department of
Justice website – and more are to come.
This array of data is the result of two criminal
investigations culminating in the so-called “Epstein files”.
Many pages are heavily redacted, with some blacked out in
full. This has sparked criticism from victims and lawmakers alike – but the White House says the Trump administration is “the most
transparent in history”.
The US Department of Justice says the omissions are necessary to protect victims and for continuing investigations.