The Justice Department’s initial release Friday of files related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows U.S. President Donald Trump is sparingly mentioned — or seen — in any of the heavily redacted documents.
In one of the files, two photos of Trump appear inside a desk. One image appears to show him posing with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and two other unidentifiable people. The second shows Trump posing with a group of women.
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No context was provided with the photos, and while Trump has been named in other documents involving Epstein, he has not been implicated in any crimes and denies knowing about Epstein’s criminal activity.
Trump and Epstein were known to share a friendly relationship in the 1990s before a falling out in the early 2000s — before Epstein’s first criminal investigation began in 2005.
In that case, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution.
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The Justice Department acknowledged to Congress it did not release all of its Epstein-related files in Friday’s initial disclosure, as required by law.
Lawmakers have since threatened legal action over the delay, but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he expects the department to release “several hundred thousand” additional documents by the end of the day and more in the coming weeks.
Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors. His death was determined a suicide by federal investigators.
