Attorney General Pam Bondi released documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the first wave of files posted on the Justice Department website have largely been circulating in public for years and didn’t include bombshells about the sex trafficking case widely discussed by conspiracy theorists, reports the Associated Press. The documents included copies of flight logs from Epstein’s private plane, which have long been available in court cases, and a heavily redacted photocopy of an address book purportedly compiled by Epstein and his confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, which has long cited in media accounts. The Justice Department also released a blacked-out list of masseuses and an evidence list showing entries for more than 150 items, including nude images, massage tables, sex toys and other items.
The Justice Department said it was making the documents public to show its commitment to transparency. President Trump, who was in office when Epstein was arrested in 2019, suggested last year that he’d seek to open up the government’s files. The rollout of the documents — which were given to political commentators at the White House hours in binders that read “The Epstein Files: Phase I” — showed the administration’s penchant for showmanship and preference for conservative influencers with large social media followings.
The Justice Department posted them with a note downplaying their significance. “The first phase of declassified files largely contains documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the U.S. Government,” the note said. The documents are unlikely to satisfy online sleuths eager for fresh details about Epstein’s crimes and his connections to famous people, which have long been the subject of media scrutiny. The lack of new information drew criticism from conservatives. “GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), calling the rollout a “complete disappointment.”