Rumors are circulating that many well-known names are found in the documentation surrounding sex offender Epstein. And this week, Justice Minister Pam Bondi made a PR stunt out of the disclosure.
New now! You will see some Epstein information being disclosed, she said in Fox News TV broadcasts on Wednesday.
Among the documents is an address book allegedly compiled by Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. However, many of the names in the book have been crossed out in the publicly released version.
When the papers were published online, the Justice Department also downplayed them. "This first phase of released files largely contains documents that have previously been leaked, but never formally released", it said.
Donald Trump himself and Britain's Prince Andrew are among the celebrities who attended Epstein's large parties. When it later emerged that Epstein had engaged in extensive and brutal sex trafficking, including with minors, rumors began circulating about whether any of the celebrities had been involved in illegal activities.
Epstein himself was found dead in his cell when he was brought to trial in New York in 2019. The death has been classified as suicide, but conspiracy theories are also circulating that rich and powerful interests may have been behind the concealment of who was involved in Epstein's crimes.
The disclosure was called "The Epstein files, phase one", but it is unclear whether and when more documents will be released.
