WASHINGTON, D.C., United States — The United States Department of Justice has released millions of pages of records related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking the largest public disclosure of Epstein-linked material since transparency legislation mandated their publication last year.
In a statement accompanying the release on Friday, the department said it had made public approximately three million pages of documents, alongside 180,000 images and 2,000 videos.
The disclosure follows weeks of criticism after the Justice Department missed a statutory deadline set out in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
The newly released material includes records relating to Epstein’s time in custody, a psychological assessment, details surrounding his death in a New York jail in August 2019, and investigative files concerning his long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of helping traffic underage girls.
High-profile correspondence
The documents contain extensive email correspondence between Epstein and a number of prominent public figures, spanning more than a decade and reflecting relationships maintained even after Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl under a controversial plea agreement.
Among the emails are exchanges with a person identified as “The Duke,” believed to refer to Prince Andrew, formerly the Duke of York.
The messages, dated August 2010, discuss dining at Buckingham Palace with “lots of privacy” and include an offer by Epstein to introduce the royal to a 26-year-old Russian woman. The emails are signed “A”, with a signature appearing to read “HRH Duke of York KG”.
The correspondence does not indicate any criminal conduct. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has faced sustained scrutiny over his past association with Epstein. Vivid Voice News has contacted him for comment.
Other emails appear to involve Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s former wife. In one message dated 4 April 2009 and signed “Love, Sarah, The red Head.!!”, she refers to Epstein as “my dear spectacular and special friend Jeffrey” and discusses a potential meeting in Palm Beach alongside ideas for her business venture, Mother’s Army. At the time, Epstein was under house arrest.
Political and financial links
The release also includes emails suggesting Epstein transferred ÂŁ10,000 (about $13,700) in 2009 to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the husband of British politician Lord Peter Mandelson.
The correspondence relates to funding for an osteopathy course and includes bank details and acknowledgements of receipt.
Lord Mandelson, who married da Silva in 2023, has said he regrets his past friendship with Epstein and maintains he was unaware of any criminal behaviour.
Epstein’s communications with senior figures extend to the United States political sphere. The newly released files mention President Trump hundreds of times.
Trump has acknowledged a past social relationship with Epstein but says it ended long before Epstein’s later criminal cases and has denied any knowledge of his sex crimes.
The documents include a list compiled by the FBI of allegations submitted through its tip line, some of which name Trump. The Justice Department stressed that many of the claims were unverified.
“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the department said. “To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false.”
Technology leaders and disputed claims
Email exchanges between Epstein and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk are also included. The correspondence shows discussions about possible travel to Epstein’s private island, including Musk asking in 2012, “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” There is no evidence Musk ever visited the island.
Musk later said he was aware the emails could be misinterpreted but emphasised accountability for those who committed crimes.
“I don’t care about that, but what I do care about is that we at least attempt to prosecute those who committed serious crimes with Epstein,” he wrote on X.
Claims involving Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also appear in the release. A spokesperson for Gates dismissed the allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false”, describing Epstein as a “disgruntled liar” attempting to defame him.
Victims’ advocates raise alarm
The release has drawn sharp criticism from victims’ advocates, particularly over the identification of survivors.
Gloria Allred, a lawyer who has represented several of Epstein’s victims, told the BBC that some survivors’ names and images were insufficiently redacted.
Also Read: Trump administration releases Epstein files: What we know so far
“They have devastated so many of these survivors by publicly releasing their names,” Allred said, describing the disclosure process as “an absolute mess.”
She said that despite efforts to seek further redactions, many of the files had already been downloaded.
The Justice Department said redactions were made only where legally permitted, to protect victims or ongoing investigations, and that hundreds of staff had reviewed the material over several months.
Is the disclosure complete?
While Blanche said the release marked the end of the department’s review process, Democratic lawmakers remain sceptical.
Congressman Ro Khanna said the department had identified more than six million potentially relevant pages but released only about half.
“This raises questions as to why the rest are being withheld,” he said, adding that further scrutiny was needed.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed amid long-standing public suspicion that powerful figures linked to Epstein had been shielded from accountability.
Whether the latest disclosure brings closure or fuels further controversy remains uncertain.
