The Latest: Justice Department is releasing 3 million pages from Jeffrey Epstein files

NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department connected Friday released galore much records from its investigative files connected Jeffrey Epstein, resuming disclosures nether a instrumentality intended to uncover what the authorities knew astir the millionaire financier’s intersexual maltreatment of young girls and his interactions with the affluent and powerful.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the section was releasing much than 3 cardinal pages of documents successful the latest Epstein disclosure, arsenic good arsenic much than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The files, posted to the department’s website, see immoderate of the respective cardinal pages of records that officials said were withheld from an archetypal merchandise of documents successful December.

They were disclosed nether the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the instrumentality enacted aft months of nationalist and governmental unit that requires the authorities to unfastened its files connected the precocious financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

After missing a Dec. 19 deadline acceptable by Congress to merchandise each of the files, the Justice Department said it tasked hundreds of lawyers with reviewing the records to find what needs to beryllium redacted, oregon blacked out, to support the identities of victims of intersexual abuse.

Here's the latest:

Records see unsubstantiated extremity sent to investigators

Over the years, prosecutors received tips from radical with chaotic stories astir being sexually abused by celebrated figures. In immoderate instances, FBI investigators diligently reached retired to these tipsters and alleged victims and listened to their implausible sounding stories — immoderate involving the occult and quality sacrifice — past wrote adust reports summarizing what the radical had to accidental and sent them to their superiors.

Manhattan’s apical national authoritative says adjacent much documents volition beryllium released

Attorney Jay Clayton told New York national tribunal judges overseeing records successful the enactment trafficking cases against Epstein and Maxwell that immoderate documents are being withheld temporarily portion the authorities awaits further guidance from civilian and transgression courts.

In a missive to the judges, Clayton says his bureau continues to prosecute with victims and their lawyers, including during a telephone Thursday. He said the Justice Department has invited victims to scope retired if they judge thing has been published that should beryllium redacted.

Some of the documents we’ve seen truthful far

The immense cache of documents included email correspondence betwixt prosecutors, printouts of thousands of emails that Epstein either sent oregon received, quality clippings, and reports written by FBI agents summarizing their interviews with witnesses and alleged victims successful the investigation.

As was the lawsuit with galore erstwhile releases of documents related to Epstein, overmuch worldly was blacked out. Some of the reports connected FBI interviews had full pages blacked out, on with the sanction of the idiosyncratic who was being interviewed.

Blanche defends DOJ handling of Epstein release

The lawman U.S. lawyer wide besides responded to disapproval astir the Justice Department’s handling of the files’ release.

He said national attorneys had to reappraisal each 6 cardinal pages to guarantee nary unfortunate accusation is released, and couldn’t bash truthful wrong the 30-day timeline acceptable by the law. He noted assorted exemptions nether the law, but said nary worldly was being withheld nether a nationalist information oregon overseas argumentation exemption.

“There’s not immoderate tranche of super-secret documents astir Jeffrey Epstein that we’re withholding,” helium said astir redactions successful the files.

Blanche acknowledges extended redactions

Justice Department lawyers made extended redactions to the released files, including unfortunate accusation that included their aesculapian files.

They redacted images and videos, including removing immoderate pistillate depicted successful videos but for Ghislaine Maxwell.

Lawyers besides withheld kid enactment maltreatment materials oregon thing depicting images of death, carnal maltreatment oregon injury, arsenic good arsenic thing that would wounded an ongoing national investigation, Blanche said.

AP reporters are reviewing the files

Compiling close and thorough accusation takes time. A squad of AP reporters is moving to corroborate accusation released by the Justice Department regarding Jeffrey Epstein.

These standards usher our reporting process:

1. We mostly bash not place those who accidental they person been sexually assaulted oregon subjected to utmost abuse 2. We indispensable marque important efforts to scope anyone who whitethorn beryllium portrayed successful a antagonistic mode successful our content 3. We volition not knowingly present rumor oregon mendacious accusation into material 4. We abhor inaccuracies, carelessness, bias oregon distortions 5. We ever strive to place each the sources of our information

▶ Read our connection of quality values and principles

Blanche: ‘We did not support President Trump’

Blanche said that the merchandise whitethorn not reply each the questions radical person astir Epstein oregon the handling of the allegations against him.

“There’s a hunger, oregon a thirst, for accusation that I don’t deliberation volition beryllium satisfied by reappraisal of these documents,” helium said.

“We did not support President Trump. We didn’t support — oregon not support — anybody,” Blanche said.

Review of Epstein files was an ‘unprecedented effort,’ lawman AG says

Blanche called the reappraisal and merchandise of Epstein files an “unprecedented effort” arsenic helium defended the Trump administration’s effect to demands for their release.

“I instrumentality umbrage astatine the suggestion, which is wholly false, that the lawyer wide oregon this section does not instrumentality kid exploitation oregon enactment trafficking seriously,” Blanche said. “We do.”

Blanche said the disclosure includes much than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images

He said much than 6 cardinal pages could perchance beryllium released nether the law, but that the department’s monolithic merchandise does not see files that incorporate personally identifiable accusation of victims.

More than 3 cardinal papers pages volition beryllium released

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department, successful releasing much than 3 cardinal pages of Epstein files Friday, that national lawyers gave up countless hours each azygous time to fulfill this “promise of transparency” to the American people.

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