The US Justice Department released the files as part of a new inquiry into the late paedophile billionaire’s crimes, after president Donald Trump signed off on their release in Congress.

In a series of investigative notes from May 2, 2019, an interview with a person whose name is redacted sheds new light on how Epstein identified victims.

The notes appear to come from the FBI, because they start with a former FBI evidence cover sheet.

The notes say that a redacted person “witnessed him asking for ID” from a girl, because Epstein didn’t believe she was under 18 and wanted to “make sure”.

Another redacted person reportedly “messed up by bringing more older girls”, according to the notes.

Epstein was reportedly angry with an associate who had brought a “Dominican, darker-skinned” girl to him, and “JE didn’t want Spanish or dark girl”.

The associate responded that he has been directed to bring a “young girl”, to which Epstein replied, “Yea, but not dark”.

Jeffrey Epstein with Michael Jackson in one of the photos released by the US Department of Justice

Jeffrey Epstein with Michael Jackson in one of the photos released by the US Department of Justice

Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Monday, December 22 

When the interview subject was later confronted by Epstein, he said, “You know what I like”, which was understood to mean “young, petite, underage”.

The subject reportedly “doesn’t recall” if anyone as young as 13 had been procured for Epstein. Among the notes, there are references to Epstein’s reported preference for Brazilian girls.

Within the release, there are multiple photos of women wearing minimal clothing, and notes suggest they are aged between 14 and 17.

The files were finally released on Friday, which unearthed more details on the depravity of the convicted sex offender.

The documents were posted to the Justice Department’s website and organised into four separate data sets.

Within the release, there are photos from Epstein’s home, including photos of rooms covered in naked photographs alongside distinctive blue carpets.

The highly anticipated new release has established Epstein’s links to celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Kevin Spacey, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, and the former Prince Andrew.

Former US president Bill Clinton repeatedly features in the files, seen smiling in photographs at parties and swimming with women, and he has denied any knowledge of the predator’s crimes.

More than 600,000 pages of documents have been released this year, leading the Trump administration to brag about being the “most transparent in history”, despite Mr Trump initially blocking the bill from getting through Congress.

The documents suggest that there have been three individual investigations into Epstein’s crimes.

A number of the files seem to come from a 2005 police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida.

This was followed by a federal probe that resulted in the paedophile’s divisive 2008 plea deal.

Others seem to be connected to a 2019 investigation launched by Manhattan prosecutors, which was never resolved once Epstein died in jail awaiting trial.

Mr Trump refused to answer questions about the files being released on Friday, saying he didn’t want to “spoil” the event by letting the press ask “questions having to do with anything else”.

He said: “I won’t even take questions today, because there’s no way I can take questions that are anywhere comparable to what you just witnessed.”

The latest trove of documents reveals that Epstein was once given a novelty $22,500 cheque from Mr Trump.

The signature on the cheque appears different from Mr Trump’s famous signature, but still reads “D. Trump”.