The U.S. Department of Justice has released a large batch of documents related to investigations into financier Jeffrey Epstein, following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A preliminary review by The New York Times shows that U.S. President Donald Trump is mentioned only rarely in the files made public so far, while former President Bill Clinton appears far more frequently.
The document release, carried out on December 19, 2025, includes thousands of pages of records and hundreds of photographs linked to two criminal investigations into Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
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What the Initial Review Shows
According to The New York Times, many of the documents released on Friday were heavily redacted to protect the identities of possible victims. Among the visible material, references to Trump were limited and scattered. These included mentions of his name in Epstein’s address book, flight logs, and message books that recorded missed phone calls. Some photographs showing Trump and Melania Trump with Epstein and Maxwell were also included, but these images had already been public for years.
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Trump’s name also appeared in interview transcripts involving Ghislaine Maxwell. These interviews had previously been released and were reissued as part of the new document dump. In addition, a 2016 deposition by Alan Dershowitz, one of Epstein’s former criminal defense lawyers, mentioned that he had seen Trump at Epstein’s home, though no details were provided. Versions of these records were already in the public domain.
Trump’s Past Ties to Epstein
Trump and Epstein were known to be socially connected for several years in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has consistently downplayed the relationship and has said he cut ties with Epstein in the early 2000s. He has claimed the break happened after Epstein recruited one of his employees from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump has also denied any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking activities. However, his initial hesitation to release federal Epstein-related files earlier this year led to speculation about whether the documents contained damaging information about him. Trump’s allies have acknowledged in the past that his name appears in Epstein-related records, though they have maintained that the references are limited and not incriminating.
Clinton References Stand Out
In contrast, the documents released so far contain numerous references to former President Bill Clinton. The Justice Department made public dozens of photographs of Clinton in different settings, including one showing him in a hot tub. These images and references have drawn renewed attention and debate following the release.
What Are the Epstein Files?
The Epstein files are a large collection of official records linked to criminal investigations into financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. These documents include flight logs, contact books, emails, photographs, interview transcripts, and court records gathered by law enforcement agencies over several years.
The files relate mainly to two major investigations into Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking network. Epstein was accused of abusing underage girls and running a system that involved powerful and well-known individuals. He died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, a death that sparked global outrage and demands for transparency.
For years, parts of these records remained sealed or heavily restricted. Many lawmakers, activists, and victims’ groups pushed for their full release, arguing that the public deserved to know who had connections to Epstein and how the case was handled.
That pressure led to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which legally required the U.S. Justice Department to make the documents public, while protecting the identities of victims. As a result, many names and details are still redacted.
The current release is only the beginning. Officials have confirmed that more Epstein-related documents will be published in phases after careful review.
Why the Files Were Released Now
The release follows the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which gained overwhelming bipartisan support. On November 18, the House of Representatives voted 427–1 in favor of the bill, and the Senate passed it unanimously. Trump signed the legislation into law the next day.
The push for transparency intensified after three emails, obtained from the Epstein estate in November 2025, appeared to suggest that Trump may have had some awareness of Epstein’s activities. Trump has denied this claim. The emails added pressure on the government to make all Epstein-related records public.
More Documents to Come
Todd Blanche, a senior Justice Department official, said the administration will continue releasing large volumes of Epstein documents in the coming weeks. He stressed that each batch is being carefully reviewed to remove sensitive information and references to victims before publication.
As more files are expected to be released, public scrutiny of Epstein’s connections with powerful figures is likely to grow. For now, early reviews suggest that Trump appears only sparingly in the initial documents, while attention has shifted toward others named more prominently in the records.