The latest files released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) contain a number of redactions - so what's been withheld, and why?

The DOJ says it was extremely cautious not to identify victims, so women's faces were blacked out on photos that were made public.

"Victim privacy interests counsel in favour of redacting the faces of women in photographs with Epstein even where not all the women are known to be victims because it is not practicable for the department to identify every person in a photo,” Jay Clayton, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, has written in a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Maxwell cases.

He adds that "this approach to photographs could be viewed by some as an over-redaction" - but continues that "the department believes it should, in the compressed time frame, err on the side of redacting to protect victims.”

Other redactions are believed to have been made as they might jeopardise an active criminal investigation, or contain images of abuse.

Image source, Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Julie K Brown, a journalist with the Miami Herald whose investigation led to the arrests of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, spoke to BBC News earlier today.

She says from what she has so far seen the latest release is "really a lot of nothing".

"I'm still going through it, of course, but it's just a lot of material that is either dated, that we already knew about it, or heavily redacted," she says.

"So it doesn't make sense. A lot of these redactions just frankly don't even make sense," she adds.

The US justice department says the only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law.

Brown goes on to say she thinks the release is "more symbolic than it is substantive".

"I think the fact that we've even gotten this far is worthwhile and certainly the victims should be credited. They're the heroes here who have fought really hard for transparency and for accountability and to hold some of these men accountable."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Rocky Point, North Carolina

Image source, Reuters

Trump's speech in North Carolina focused mostly on the economy.

Behind him, a large sign read "lower prices, bigger paychecks" - and he spent large portions of the speech attacking the Democrats for what he perceives as failures to help Americans, as well as delivering an endorsement of Michael Whatley in his Senate race.

He also took time to take swipes at his political foes, including Marjorie Taylor Greene - whom he alternatively referred to as Marjorie Traitor Greene and Marjorie Taylor Brown - and Hillary Clinton.

At no point has he even alluded to Epstein or the documents.

That's no surprise. The president was very much in his element, delivering seemingly off-script remarks, ignoring the teleprompter, and feeding off the energy of an adoring crowd.

The only brief point of dissension took place about an hour into the speech, when an older woman at the back of the venue called on him to address "corruption" among officials.

"She's getting ahead of me," Trump said.

The woman was promptly escorted from the venue by security guards.

Image source, US justice department

In the latest dump of documents, there is a device labeled Metropolitan Correction Center, which is the New York City jail where Epstein died while awaiting trial.

The device is labeled as evidence, and says it is a "master copy" of a "submission of downloaded video" from the jail.

The item is dated 14 August 2019, which is four days after Epstein died by suicide.

Epstein allegedly introduced a 14-year-old girl to Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to court documents which were released by the justice department.

During the alleged encounter in the 1990s Epstein elbowed Trump and “playfully asked him”, in reference to the girl, “This is a good one, right?”, the document says.

Trump smiled and nodded in agreement, according to the lawsuit filed against Epstein’s estate and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2020.

The document says that "they both chuckled" and she felt uncomfortable, but “at the time, was too young to understand why”.

The victim alleges she was groomed and abused by Epstein over many years. In the court filing she makes no accusations against Trump, and Epstein’s victims have not made any allegations against him.

The US president has previously said he was a friend of Epstein's for years, but said they fell out in about 2004, years before Epstein was first arrested. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

Image source, US Department of Justice

Democrats in Congress have been reacting to the release of the four datasets, which came just after 16:00 EST (21:00 GMT). They are largely critical of the scale of redactions in the files.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says of the redactions: "Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law."
• Democrat Representative Ro Khanna, who co-authored the bill that forced the publication of the files in the first place, said today's release "does not comply" with the law. "It was an incomplete release with too many redactions."
• Representative Robert Garcia, the leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, added to the chorus of criticism. "What we are seeing is not transparency, this is not what the law passed," he says
• Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, in an interview on MS NOW, says his fears that the justice department wouldn't fully comply with the law became realised today with this "completely unlawful withholding of information... I think we ought to bring Pam Bondi before the Senate Judiciary Committee demand answers as to why the DOJ has violated the law."

• California Representative Ted Lieu accused the justice department and the attorney general of "wilfully violating federal law" and demanded an immediate Oversight committee hearing involving Pam Bondi when Congress is back in session

As a reminder, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress in a letter, the department redacted information about victims or their relatives.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Rocky Point, North Carolina

Image source, BBC / Bernd Debusmann Jr

I'm currently in Rocky Point, North Carolina, where the President just began speaking.

This event is, so far, very reminiscent of the many campaign rallies I attended last year. Trump is here stumping for Michael Whatley, a Senate candidate and former head of the Republican National Committee.

His remarks have so far focused heavily on the economy - with the president touting his record on prices, tariffs and his recently announced $1,776 'warrior dividend' for US troops.

The speech has gotten a warm response from the crowd. After he came in - to the tune of "Proud to be an American" - a young woman to my left shouted "we love you so much!", which the crowd appreciated.

The president has so far not mentioned the release of the Epstein files - and among the press travelling with him, there is no expectation that he will do so.

The issue is one that he, and the White House, seem happy to avoid - even if there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on his part.

Notably, he delivered no remarks and answered no questions when he took off from Washington, on the flight or upon arrival here.

He also did not answer any questions at the White House earlier today - which is somewhat uncharacteristic for a man who seems to revel in his interactions with the press.

We have a long night ahead of us, however, and one never knows when he may decide to speak to the reporters traveling with him.

We’ve spent several hours scanning through datasets of documents released by the Department of Justice. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

• A lot of what was released we have already seen and much of the rest is heavily redacted
• Todd Blanche, deputy US attorney general, says they identified more than 1,200 Epstein victims or their relatives and withheld material that could identify them

• Photos released include the interiors of Epstein’s homes, his overseas travels, as well as celebrities, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Peter Mandelson - being included in the images does not imply any wrongdoing
• Bill Clinton also appears in photos in a pool and a hot tub. This has reignited speculation about the nature of his relationship with Epstein - Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and says he knows “nothing about the terrible crimes”
• There are very few references to Donald Trump, who was friends with Epstein throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s before they fell out. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein
• Democrats say that the fact this is not a full release of the files violates the law, accusing the administration of continuing a “pattern of protecting President Trump” at the expense of Epstein’s survivors
• Republican Rep Thomas Massie says the release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law"

• The White House says the Trump administration is “the most transparent in history”

Stay tuned as we bring you more in the coming hours

Pratiksha Ghildial
BBC News

"Thank you for believing me. I feel redeemed."

That's what Maria Farmer, one of Epstein's earliest accusers, says in a statement to the BBC about her 1996 complaint to the FBI being included in the files released today.

In that complaint, Farmer said Epstein stole personal photos she took of her 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters. She believed he sold the photos to potential buyers, and said he threatened to burn her house down if she told anyone about it, the FBI's report says.

"This is one of the best days of my life. Of course, it's mixed with the fact that I'm devastated about all the other little girls like Virginia who were harmed because the FBI didn't do their job," Farmer tells the BBC.

"I'm crying for two reasons. I want everyone to know that I am shedding tears of joy for myself, but also tears of sorrow for all the other victims that the FBI failed."

The BBC has contacted the FBI, which declines to comment.

The US justice department has just released a fifth tranche of evidence related to the Epstein case.

The filing was released just after 20:00 in the evening on the US east coast.

Stick with us as we go over the latest documents.

Two of the newly released images show former US President Bill Clinton in a swimming pool. The images are not dated and it is not clear where they were taken.

In the video above, BBC North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal explains what the images show.

Clinton was photographed with Epstein several times over the 1990s and early 2000s, before the disgraced financier was first arrested. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein's abuse, and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.

In 2019, a spokesperson said the former president "knows nothing about the terrible crimes" Epstein pleaded guilty to.

The BBC contacted Clinton's office for comment on the new images separate to the statement issued by his spokesperson we reported on below.

A spokesman for Bill Clinton has just commented on the photos released by the justice department earlier today, some of which feature the former US president.

"They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be," Angel Ureña writes on social media.

"There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that."

He adds: "Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats."

The images released earlier include an image of Clinton swimming in a pool, and another showing him lying on his back with his hands behind his head in what appears to be a hot tub.

Clinton was photographed with Epstein several times over the 1990s and early 2000s, before the disgraced financier was first arrested. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein's abuse, and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.

In 2019, a spokesperson said he knows "nothing about the terrible crimes" Epstein pleaded guilty to.

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump just delivered quick remark before boarding Marine One to depart the White House on his way to a political rally in North Carolina.

It was the first time he has spoken publicly since the justice department released files related to Jeffrey Epstein earlier today.

Trump took no questions and did not mention Epstein or the files.

Lord Peter Mandelson, is also shown in an image included in this latest batch.

Mandelson was sacked by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as ambassador to the US earlier this year after evidence, including emails and photos, emerged showing his continued association with Epstein.

The image shows Mandelson and Epstein with a large birthday cake. It is not clear when it was taken, but it has been published before.

Mandelson has repeatedly said he regrets his relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking offences.

The pair's friendship has long been public knowledge. Mandelson has previously said he never saw any wrongdoing while with Epstein and "fell for his lies".

Image source, US justice department

We're getting reaction now from Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who says today's release does not meet the standards set out under the Epstein Transparency Act.

Massie, who co-sponsored the transparency law, says in a social media post that the release "grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law".

Trump hardly appears in justice department releasepublished at 00:07 GMT 20 December 2025

00:07 GMT 20 December 2025

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

As we sort through the trove of information released by the US justice department today, one high-profile person has hardly been mentioned in these files - Donald Trump.

Given the amount of pressure - and scrutiny - the president has been under, including conspiracy theories about the extent of his relationship with the deceased sex trafficker, the White House may be somewhat relieved.

In fact, there may be more than just relief. Trump War Room, the official X account for the president’s political operation, has been gleefully posting photographs of former President Bill Clinton that were among today’s files, including one of him lounging in a hot tub with a person whose identity has been redacted.

Last month, Trump called on his justice department to look into Clinton’s “involvement and relationship” with Epstein. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a formal government investigation shortly thereafter.

Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein's abuse, and in 2019 a spokesperson said the former president "knows nothing about the terrible crimes" Epstein pleaded guilty to.

Trump's team may be trying to turn the long-awaited release of the Epstein files to the president’s advantage, although the move comes with risk. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said that "several hundred thousand" pages of documents are still being reviewed and have yet to be made public.

In subsequent releases, there is the possibility that Trump – who had a lengthy friendship with Epstein in the years before he was first arrested – will feature. And if he doesn't, those who believe in the conspiracy theories will wonder why.

Image source, US Department of Justice

White House officials have been reacting to the release of the Epstein material from the justice department.

Referring to the photos of Bill Clinton in a swimming pool, the White House's director of communications, Steven Cheung, says the former US president was "just chilling, without a care in the world".

Referring to the same picture, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted: "Oh my".

Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson says the Trump administration is "the most transparent in history".

The White House has previously criticised congressional Democrats for releasing pictures of US President Donald Trump from Epstein's estate, accusing the lawmakers of creating a "false narrative".

Trump was a friend of Epstein's for years, but the president has said they fell out in the early 2000s, years before Epstein was first arrested.

In response to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's letter, which we featured in our previous post, a spokesperson for Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accuses the justice department of failing to fully comply with the law.

“The Justice Department’s failure to fully comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act not only violates the law, it continues this administration’s pattern of protecting President Trump and other perpetrators and perpetuating the ongoing Bondi-Patel coverup at the expense of Epstein’s survivors," the spokesperson says.

Todd Blanche, the deputy US attorney general, says the justice department identified more than 1,200 Epstein victims or their relatives, and that it has redacted or withheld material from today's release that could identify them.

In a letter to Congress, Blanche says today's release was not complete, and that more are documents are yet to be reviewed before publication.

"Because of the volume of the material and the requirement that every page of every document be reviewed for potential redactions under the Act, final stages of review of some material continue," Blanche says in the letter seen by the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

More than 200 justice department lawyers are reviewing the documents, his letter adds.

A photo in the released files appears to show former prince Andrew lying across five people, whose faces are redacted. Ghislaine Maxwell is seen in the image standing behind them.

Andrew has faced years of scrutiny over his past friendship with Epstein, who does not appear in the photo. He has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction”.

Image source, US Department of Justice