Issue of the Week: Human Rights
Miami Herald, January 30, 2026: “A photograph released by the Department of Justice and subsequently removed showing photographs from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s home which included pictures of President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton Department of Justice”
Today, the US Department of Justice released over three million documents from it’s files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Donald Trump demanded release of all such information when running for president in 2024, then reversed his position in July 2025 after becoming president. On November 18, 2025, the US House voted 427-1 and the US Senate voted unanimously to require the files to be released.
Julie K Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald, led the year long investigation resulting in the publication of “Perversion of Justice” in November 2018, which in turn catalyzed the arrest of Epstein for sex trafficking charges. He died of purported suicide in jail awaiting trial in 2019. His accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 and is in prison, but was moved by the Trump administration Justice Department to a more comfortable minimum-security prison last year.
(It should be noted that in a horrific irony, included in the picture on the desk above but not mentioned in the articles is a photo of Pope John Paul II, who presided over the Catholic Church when the child sexual abuse crisis in the Church exploded into public view, apparenly blessing Epstein and Maxwell reportedly in 2003, before their sex trafficking was widely known.)
Countless survivors, including many who had been minors when sexualy abused, demanded that all information related to Epstein and the unprecedented number of rich and powerful people, mainly men, including President Trump, who had been or were associated with him, many accused of abuse, be made available so that justice might still be pursued.
The unanimous bi-partisan vote by the US Congress, minus one vote to do so is virtually unprecedented.
Following are two articles by Julie Brown and colleagues on the release of information today, published in the Miami Herald today:
How Trump is named in the latest batch of the Epstein Files
By Claire Healy and Julie K. Brown Updated January 31, 2026, Miami Herald
In a July 2021 interview, an unnamed source told federal agents about a time when convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell introduced a woman to President Donald Trump.
“MAXWELL said things like, ‘oh I think he likes you. Aren’t you lucky. This is great,’” according to a report of the interview. “It was set up very much like how MAXWELL introduced [redacted] to EPSTEIN.”
A heavily redacted version of the interview was released by the Department of Justice Friday among a trove of files related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the files total 3 million pages, including 180,000 images and 2,000 videos.
As with past releases of files related to Epstein, Trump’s name is mentioned thousands of times – many are innocuous references, but some include uncorroborated allegations sent to the FBI claiming that he also abused young girls.
The White House referred the Miami Herald to a statement on the DOJ website, denying any credibility in any accusations against the president.
“This production may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the Act,” read the statement.
“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
The release was the culmination of a year-long debate over making the federal government’s plethora of documentation public – a battle that frequently focused on Trump’s relationship with Epstein.
Federal agents arrested Epstein in 2019, after a Miami Herald investigation documented a sweetheart deal federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida reached with him in 2007 and his continued abuse of girls after. He was found dead in his prison cell about a month later in August 2019. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
The July 2021 interview about Maxwell notes that nothing happened between the woman and Trump, but it adds to the long-standing record of what appeared to once be a close friendship between Epstein, Maxwell and Trump.
Trump referred to Epstein as a “terrific guy” in a 2002 New York Magazine story and said “I just wish her well,” when asked about Ghislaine Maxwell in July 2020, weeks after she had been arrested and accused of aiding Epstein’s abuse.
She was found guilty in 2021 on five counts related to sex trafficking and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence in Texas.
The files also show that accusations of sexual misconduct by the president connected to Epstein were repeatedly raised to federal authorities.
On Aug. 6, 2025, an email exchange apparently sent between agents at the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force described a list of “Trump accusers.” It also included a spreadsheet of tips called into the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center.
One alleged that a friend had been “forced to perform oral sex on President Trump” in New Jersey, about 35 years prior, when she was 13 or 14 years old.
In another, a caller said she was a 16-year-old model when she attended parties at Epstein’s residence in New York and he sexually assaulted her. She also alleged she was abused by the three Miami brothers accused of a pattern of serial rape, who are currently facing federal sex trafficking charges – Oren, Alon and Tal Alexander.
“Caller named other individuals involved in ‘big orgy parties’ with her,” the tip states. “Other young girls, and older Victoria’s Secret models, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.”
Some of the complainants were not reached by agents, one was “deemed not credible.” The caller who mentioned a friend in New Jersey identified the friend on the phone, and the tip was sent to the “Washington Office” to conduct an interview.
A woman also reached out to the FBI on Jan. 13, 2021. She “wanted to know why nothing was being done in regards to the information she provided” about Trump.
“[redacted] stated TRUMP was actively recruiting girls, whether it was for him or EPSTEIN she did not know,” the tip claims.
Asked how she knew the information, the woman cited news sources, and a friend in Florida.
On one occasion in 2016, Epstein himself sought advice on how Trump should answer questions about their relationship.
On Mar. 30, 2016, he an email wrote to Kathy Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel to former President Barack Obama. “Trump is likely to be asked questions soon about me,” he said, and asked: “In and [sic] ideal world what would you think he should/could say.”
“Supposedly a girl said that donald had sex with her at my house when she was underage,” he wrote. “She said she has a witness.”
Past releases of files related to Epstein – from both the DOJ and House Oversight Committee – have also included hundreds of mentions of Trump.
A January 2020 memo by an assistant US attorney revealed that Trump was on many more flights on Epstein’s private plane than the DOJ was aware of — between 1993 and 1996. A photo shows Trump next to a line of women. In one email, Epstein claimed to have lost a $10,000 bet to Trump regarding his second wife’s pregnancy, and in another email, to have had dirt on Trump.
In a 2011 message to Maxwell released by the House Oversight Committee in November, Epstein wrote that Trump “spent hours” with a victim at his house — and described Trump as “the dog that hasn’t barked.”
The White House said that the victim in question was Virginia Giuffre, who was recruited by Maxwell while working at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. She died by suicide in April 2025, but previously said that she never saw Trump participate in any sexual acts.
Also among the files released Friday was a 2002 email that seems to be between first lady Melania Trump and Maxwell. “I know you are very busy flying all over the world,” she wrote. “How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you’re back in NY.”
Earlier this year, the House Oversight Committee released a 238-page birthday book compiled by Maxwell as a gift for Epstein on his 50th birthday. Included is a letter signed with a signature that appeared to be Trump’s, and the figure of a naked woman drawn around it. Trump has repeatedly denied it came from him.
“A pal is a wonderful thing,” the note reads. “Happy birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
. . .
Trump, Clinton, Musk named in latest Epstein files release
By Claire Healy , Julie K Brown , Ana Claudia Chacin and Shirsho Dasgupta Updated January 31, 2026, Miami Herald
Some 3 million pages of documents involving sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, including thousands of videos and photographs, were to be released Friday by the Department of Justice.
The trove of files included an FBI document, compiled by the agency’s child exploitation division, that listed a number of graphic sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and other powerful people. The list of uncorroborated tips was put online, then pulled by the DOJ, which later republished them after it was clear they had already been widely disseminated online.
The cache also included the 32-count indictment drafted by federal prosecutors in South Florida in 2007. The indictment, which had not previously been made public, was drawn up to be filed against Epstein and three unnamed conspirators.
But the indictment was scrapped in favor of giving Epstein federal immunity – a deal that allowed him to escape federal prison and go on to sexually assault hundreds of other victims over the next two decades.
The Epstein files posted Friday is the largest release thus far under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by the president in November.
It also comes over a month after the Dec. 19 deadline for the government to release the files under the new law passed.
The release did little to quell the speculation and conspiracies surrounding the case, as users on social media platforms posted some of the most salacious documents and other pages that had large swaths of material blacked out.
In several of the FBI interviews with Epstein survivors released in the new files, the names of other men who allegedly sexually abused them is redacted.
It also appears that millions more pages were not made public at all.
At a Friday morning press conference, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department initially identified 6 million pages as potentially responsive to the law – but would only be releasing 3 million.
“We erred on the side of over collection of materials from various sources to best ensure maximum transparency and compliance,” he said. “Which necessarily means that the number of responsive pages is significantly smaller than the total number of pages initially collected.”
Epstein’s survivors accused the DOJ of withholding documents and over-redacting others, while at the same time, failing to shield victims’ names, some of which still appeared in the files.
“This is not over,” the victims’ statement said. “We will not stop until the truth is fully revealed and every perpetrator is finally held accountable. As we have always said, this is not about politics. We hope Democrats and Republicans will stand with survivors in continuing to demand the full release of the Epstein files.”
Congressmen Ro Khanna of California, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, sent a letter to Blanche on Friday requesting a meeting to review the unredacted records.
The letter sent to Congress by the DOJ stated that about 200,000 pages had been withheld or redacted, and as outlined in the law, a detailed list of reasons for redactions will be sent to lawmakers within 15 days. Exemptions to the law include deliberative process privilege, the work-product doctrine, and attorney-client privilege.
But some lawmakers were skeptical.
“They intend to withhold approximately 50 percent or half of the Epstein files, while claiming to fully comply with the law,” said House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) in a video posted to his social media account. “This is outrageous and incredibly concerning.”
The document referencing sex parties, attached in an email from a member of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, included graphic and violent descriptions of alleged sexual assaults and rapes with minors. It’s not clear whether any of them were investigated or proven.
Many of the allegations were directed at Trump, and in one email exchange among what appeared to be FBI agents, an individual sent a redacted list of “Trump accusers.”
The White House, in response to questions from the Herald about the accusations, referred reporters to a press release on the DOJ website.
“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the press release stated. “To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
The volumes of new Epstein material also came with the warning that many of the documents could contain pornographic images. The government website asked visitors to verify that they are over the age of 18.
The files also showed emails between Elon Musk and Epstein in 2012 and 2013, discussing Musk’s visit to Epstein’s island off the coast of St. Thomas. In one, Musk asks: “What day or night will be the wildest party on the island?”
Another email shows Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, making plans to have lunch with Epstein on his island with another couple and their young children in 2012. Lutnick, who was Epstein’s next-door neighbor in Upper Manhattan, had previously said he refused a tour of Epstein’s mansion in 2005 because he and his wife were revolted by Mr. Epstein.
A spokesperson for the Department of Commerce wrote in an emailed statement to the Herald that Lutnick’s interaction with Epstein was limited.
“This is nothing more than a failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration’s accomplishments including securing Trillions of dollars in investment, delivering historic trade deals and fighting for the American worker,” the spokesperson said.
“Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing.”
Musk’s companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump is mentioned thousands of times, although most of those references are copies of news stories about him. Epstein, however, frequently mentioned Trump in emails, including many he wrote to GOP strategist Steve Bannon. Several of those conversations disparaged Trump.
“Trump’s stupidity could sometimes be made into a virtue,” Epstein wrote in a text message in May 2019 to an individual whose name was redacted – two months before he was arrested on sex trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York.
Blanche reiterated that Trump ended his relationship with Epstein’s decades ago at his press conference Friday morning.
“You have a situation where for many, many years, nobody even breathed a word about Jeffrey Epstein, and then all of a sudden it was all anybody would talk about going into the last spring and summer,” Blanche said. “President Trump has said for years what I think everybody will find to be exactly true, which is detailing his relationship and lack thereof with Mr. Epstein and what he thought about Mr. Epstein.”
Some documents have been withheld under exceptions outlined in the act, Blanche said, but he added that none were withheld for national security reasons. The identities of victims and images of women were redacted, he said, with the exception of Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
No men were redacted from the images unless it was impossible to redact the women pictured without also redacting the men, he said.
“There’s not some tranche of super secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that we’re withholding,” Blanche said, in response to a question about any withheld documents.
The department also encouraged victims and the public to reach out regarding any errors in redactions at EFTA@usdoj.gov.
Asked about the identities of additional men involved in Epstein’s abuse, he said “I don’t know whether there are men out there that abused these women, If we learn about information and evidence that allows us to prosecute them, you better believe we will.”
“I don’t think the public or you all are going to uncover men within the Epstein files who abused these women, unfortunately,” he said.
The fight to publish the files has embroiled the Trump Administration in controversy, after the president campaigned in 2024 on releasing the trove and abruptly reversed course in July 2025.
The documents detail the scope of DOJ investigations into a sex trafficking ring led by Epstein for decades. The department estimates that his victims number over 1,000.
In a Jan. 5 court filing, Blanche and Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the department had already released approximately 12,285 documents and had 2 million other “potentially responsive” files.
Many of the documents released in December 2025 were heavily redacted. Some pages with mention of Trump were abruptly removed, and then re-uploaded after reporting of their disappearance. The slow release and redactions have prompted outrage from victims and threats of legal action from Congress.
Epstein harbored close relationships with powerful men across the world, including Trump, who has said that the men ended their friendship in the early 2000s. Many of the men have appeared in photos and documents in the files – including renowned academics, foreign leaders, President Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
The men have previously denied knowledge of the abuse, or connection to it.
The files detail abuse spanning decades and continuing across the world. In 2007, despite evidence that he was sexually abusing dozens of young girls, Epstein reached a deal with federal prosecutors in South Florida, and pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges to settle accusations of sexual abuse leveled by dozens of teenagers.
Epstein served 13 months in the Palm Beach County Jail, but was allowed to leave regularly and continued to abuse girls. It wasn’t until 2019, after the Miami Herald published its Perversion of Justice series detailing the incredibly lenient plea deal and Epstein’s continued abuse of girls, that he was arrested by the FBI and faced new sex charges. After a month in federal prison, he was found dead in his cell in August 2019. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
In a Feb. 23, 2019, email from Epstein to his criminal defense attorney, Martin Weinberg, he frets about the Herald’s reporting.
“Should we share the julie brown text with alan,” he wrote. “she’s going to start trouble. asking for vicitms (sic) etc.”
In 2021, Epstein’s accomplice and ex-girlfriend Maxwell was found guilty of five counts related to sex trafficking. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Texas, and reportedly seeking a commutation from the president.
Reporters Brittany Wallman and Linda Robertson contributed to this story.