A timeline of the long feud over Epstein files releasepublished at 00:30 British Summer Time 3 September
00:30 BST 3 September
While campaigning for the presidency, Donald Trump promised to release files about Jeffrey Epstein, after years of conspiracy theories swirling online.
Since Trump returned to office in January, some supporters have grown frustrated with how his administration has got on with this pledge.
Here’s a look back at the key dates:
21 February
Attorney General Pam Bondi tells Fox News that a list of Epstein’s clients is “sitting on my desk right now”. The White House later says she was referring to all the files related to Epstein’s crimes.
28 February
Bondi says federal investigators are withholding thousands of documents about Epstein, and asks the FBI to release all the information.
26 April
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault, dies by suicide aged 41, her family says. The prince has long denied any wrongdoing.
6 June
Tech billionaire Elon Musk posts on X that Trump is “in the Epstein files”, referring to court documents and evidence thought to have been collected by investigators. The White House dismisses the post, which Musk deletes.
7 July
The US Department of Justice and FBI conclude in a report that Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – contradicting long-held conspiracy theories.
17 July
Trump asks Bondi to release “any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony” on Jeffrey Epstein, after what he calls a “ridiculous amount of publicity”.
18 July
Trump sues Wall Street Journal owner Rupert Murdoch, its parent company and two reporters after the newspaper reported that his name appeared on a “bawdy” 2003 birthday card to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. US officials ask New York federal court to unseal transcripts from the grand jury involved in the government’s 2019 sex trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein.
24 and 25 July
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
1 August
Ghislaine Maxwell is moved to a new federal prison in Texas known to have better living conditions.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein abuse young girls