Trump promised ‘full transparency' over Epstein files. Are more documents coming?
His remarks came just days before Virginia Giuffre, one of the first and most prominent survivors of Epstein's abuse to speak out, died by suicide.
Epstein, a sex offender accused of orchestrating a massive child sex trafficking ring with his associates, died by suicide in 2019 while in custody on federal sex trafficking charges. He was associated with dozens of celebrities and powerful politicians, bringing international interest to the case.
Much of this interest centered around redacted court documents naming alleged associates and victims known as the 'Epstein files.' Attorney General Pam Bondi moved to release some of these documents in February in what she labeled the 'first phase' of declassified files — but much of the information was already public.
Trump, when asked by a reporter on April 22 when the public could expect to see the release of more documents, said he would speak to Bondi.
'I don't know, I'll speak to the attorney general about that, I really don't know,' Trump said.
On January 23, Trump signed an executive order directing the declassification of records surrounding the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
'I do know that we've done the RFK, the Kennedy, Martin Luther King is out there very shortly, so we'll find out,' Trump added. 'We've really announced we're doing them in full transparency.'
What did Attorney General Bondi release in 'phase one' of the Epstein files?
Bondi moved to declassify several documents from Epstein's criminal prosecution, many of which were already published.
The files previously published pilot logs related to the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's close associate, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. The files also included redactions from prosecutors to protect victims. Bondi also published Epstein's 'little black book,' containing names of his alleged associates. However, that too was already published.
One never-before-seen document was an "Evidence List," a catalogue of evidence obtained by investigators.
Items included a 'LSJ logbook,' believed to refer to his private island Little St. James, and a CD labelled 'girl pics nude book 4.'
Several big names had already been linked to Epstein through previously released documents, including Trump, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger.
Bondi had invited several prominent right-wing influencers to the White House — including 'Libs of TikTok' owner Chaya Raichik and Republican activist Scott Presler — to see the documents the day they were released.
But virtually all of that information was already public, and many Republicans turned to social media to criticize Bondi.
'GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR instead of leaking old info to press,' far-right Representative Anna Paulina Luna wrote on social media at the time.
Luna, who chairs a House Republican-led Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, said the Justice Department did not provide her or her committee with the documents.
'1) If the Epstein files are out, where do we find them? (2) What's the difference between 'phase 1' and 'phase 2'?' asked Republican Senator Mike Lee. 'Will the Epstein files tell us whether he killed himself?'
Far-right influencer Laura Loomer raged that 'THERE ARE NO EPSTEIN FILES!!!'
What have officials said about the Epstein files?
Bondi said releasing the first-phase documents 'sheds light on Epstein's extensive network and begins to provide the public with long overdue accountability.'
'This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump's commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,' she added.
Following the release of 'phase one,' Bondi reportedly pushed the FBI and her own agency to urgently review and declassify more files, according to ABC News. The FBI enlisted thousands of agents to help with the effort, the outlet reports.
Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to declassify documents in several high-profile cases during his second term.
This includes the release of 2,200 files related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, which critics blasted as 'just another nothing burger' that revealed little new information.
Trump also promised to release sealed files about the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
29 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Trump claims Epstein stole women from Mar-a-Lago spa including Virginia Giuffre
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Jeffrey Epstein 'stole' young women who worked for the spa at Mar-a-Lago. It is the latest evolution in his description of how their highly scrutinised relationship ended years ago. One of the women, he acknowledged, was Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers. Mr Trump's comments expanded on remarks he had made a day earlier, when he said he had banned Epstein from his private club in Florida two decades ago because his one-time friend 'stole people that worked for me'. At the time, he did not make clear who those workers were. The Republican president has faced an outcry over his administration's refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Mr Trump's tightly controlled political coalition. Mr Trump has attempted to tamp down questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it six years after Epstein took his own life while awaiting trial, even though some of his own allies have promoted conspiracy theories about it. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend, was recently interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by the Justice Department's No 2 official, though officials have not publicly disclosed what she said. Her lawyers said on Tuesday that she is willing to answer more questions from the US congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony. Aboard Air Force One while returning from Scotland, Mr Trump said he was upset that Epstein was 'taking people who worked for me'. The women, he said, were 'taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone'. 'I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people,' Mr Trump said. When it happened again, Mr Trump said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Asked if Ms Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, he demurred but then said 'he stole her'. The White House originally said Mr Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a 'creep'. Ms Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She claimed that Maxwell spotted her working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was a teenager, and hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. Although Ms Giuffre's allegations did not become part of criminal prosecutions against Epstein, she is central to conspiracy theories about the case. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Maxwell, who has denied Giuffre's allegations, is serving a 20-year-prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested. The potential interview is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Mr Trump's political base who had been hoping to find proof of a government cover-up. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week. In a letter on Tuesday, Maxwell's lawyers said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her co-operate provided that legislators satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms Maxwell's (lawyer) soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a spokesperson said. Separately, Maxwell's lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public', is in the event of a pardon by Mr Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' they said.
Rhyl Journal
29 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Trump claims Epstein stole women from Mar-a-Lago spa including Virginia Giuffre
It is the latest evolution in his description of how their highly scrutinised relationship ended years ago. One of the women, he acknowledged, was Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers. Mr Trump's comments expanded on remarks he had made a day earlier, when he said he had banned Epstein from his private club in Florida two decades ago because his one-time friend 'stole people that worked for me'. At the time, he did not make clear who those workers were. The Republican president has faced an outcry over his administration's refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Mr Trump's tightly controlled political coalition. Mr Trump has attempted to tamp down questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it six years after Epstein took his own life while awaiting trial, even though some of his own allies have promoted conspiracy theories about it. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend, was recently interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by the Justice Department's No 2 official, though officials have not publicly disclosed what she said. Her lawyers said on Tuesday that she is willing to answer more questions from the US congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony. Aboard Air Force One while returning from Scotland, Mr Trump said he was upset that Epstein was 'taking people who worked for me'. The women, he said, were 'taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone'. 'I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people,' Mr Trump said. When it happened again, Mr Trump said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Asked if Ms Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, he demurred but then said 'he stole her'. The White House originally said Mr Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a 'creep'. Ms Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She claimed that Maxwell spotted her working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was a teenager, and hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. Although Ms Giuffre's allegations did not become part of criminal prosecutions against Epstein, she is central to conspiracy theories about the case. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Maxwell, who has denied Giuffre's allegations, is serving a 20-year-prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested. The potential interview is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Mr Trump's political base who had been hoping to find proof of a government cover-up. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week. In a letter on Tuesday, Maxwell's lawyers said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her co-operate provided that legislators satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms Maxwell's (lawyer) soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a spokesperson said. Separately, Maxwell's lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public', is in the event of a pardon by Mr Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' they said.
Leader Live
29 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Trump claims Epstein stole women from Mar-a-Lago spa including Virginia Giuffre
It is the latest evolution in his description of how their highly scrutinised relationship ended years ago. One of the women, he acknowledged, was Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers. Mr Trump's comments expanded on remarks he had made a day earlier, when he said he had banned Epstein from his private club in Florida two decades ago because his one-time friend 'stole people that worked for me'. At the time, he did not make clear who those workers were. The Republican president has faced an outcry over his administration's refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Mr Trump's tightly controlled political coalition. Mr Trump has attempted to tamp down questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it six years after Epstein took his own life while awaiting trial, even though some of his own allies have promoted conspiracy theories about it. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend, was recently interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by the Justice Department's No 2 official, though officials have not publicly disclosed what she said. Her lawyers said on Tuesday that she is willing to answer more questions from the US congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution for her testimony. Aboard Air Force One while returning from Scotland, Mr Trump said he was upset that Epstein was 'taking people who worked for me'. The women, he said, were 'taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone'. 'I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people,' Mr Trump said. When it happened again, Mr Trump said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Asked if Ms Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, he demurred but then said 'he stole her'. The White House originally said Mr Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a 'creep'. Ms Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She claimed that Maxwell spotted her working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was a teenager, and hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. Although Ms Giuffre's allegations did not become part of criminal prosecutions against Epstein, she is central to conspiracy theories about the case. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Maxwell, who has denied Giuffre's allegations, is serving a 20-year-prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested. The potential interview is part of a frenzied, renewed interest in the Epstein saga following the Justice Department's July statement that it would not be releasing any additional records from the investigation, an abrupt announcement that stunned online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Mr Trump's political base who had been hoping to find proof of a government cover-up. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigation and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche interviewing Maxwell over the course of two days at a Florida courthouse last week. In a letter on Tuesday, Maxwell's lawyers said that though their initial instinct was for Maxwell to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are open to having her co-operate provided that legislators satisfy their request for immunity and other conditions. But the Oversight Committee seemed to reject that offer outright. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms Maxwell's (lawyer) soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' a spokesperson said. Separately, Maxwell's lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she dd not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify 'openly and honestly, in public', is in the event of a pardon by Mr Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,' they said.
