The US department of justice has made public a substantial cache of documents from the federal investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche confirmed the release exceeds three million pages, representing a significant addition to the public record of the high-profile case.The materials include a vast digital archive, consisting of more than 2,000 videos and approximately 180,000 images.According to the DOJ, the compilation and review of this data required the coordination of over 500 attorneys and legal reviewers.

Donald Trump

The newly released files contain references to US President Donald Trump. However, officials emphasise that the presence of a name in these files are not an accusation of criminal wrongdoing.The documents include a list of sexual assault allegations compiled by the FBI. It originated primarily from anonymous callers and electronic tips submitted to the National Threat Operations Centre.While the analysis of the files is under way, some of the tips were deemed not to be credible.The department of justice in its statement regarding the mention of Donald Trump’s name, labelled the claims to be “untrue and sensationalist.”The DOJ stated, “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false.”

Bill Gates

A draft email within the cache features an allegation by Epstein regarding purported extramarital affairs involving the Microsoft co-founder.In a retrieved email, Epstein addressed his relationship with Bill Gates as something ranging from “getting him drugs to facilitating his illicit trysts.” The email read, “helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with the consequences of sex with russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women.”

Melania Trump

The files include a 2002 email addressed to Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, signed “Love, Melania.” The senders and receivers address of this email are redacted.The first email, sent on the evening of Wednesday, 23 October 2002, with the subject line “HI!” begins “Dear G!” It further says, “How are you? Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture. I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time! Love, Melania”

Elon Musk

The files also reveal Elon Musk to be a visitor to the island. A mail trail from November 2012 traces the conversation between Musk and Epstein as the former expresses his interest in attending the “wildest night” at the island.Epstein’s message to Musk states, “how many people will you be for the heli to island.” To which Musk replies, “Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”

Survivor outrage over privacy concerns

While the release was framed as a move toward transparency, it has drawn sharp criticism from Epstein’s victims. Survivors argue that the redaction process has failed to protect their identities while simultaneously shielding potential perpetrators.In a statement reported by The Guardian, survivors expressed their frustration with the exposure of sensitive information.“This latest release of Jeffrey Epstein files is being sold as transparency, but what it actually does is expose survivors. Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous.”The survivors further contended that the current method of disclosure causes secondary trauma while allowing Epstein’s network of enablers to remain in the shadows.“As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinised, and retraumatized while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy. This is a betrayal of the very people this process is supposed to serve,” the statement said.