Epstein filing live update: Photos of Bill Clinton in hot tub appear in documents

Donald Trump speaks at a rally in North Carolina just hours after the Justice Department released the Epstein files.

Watch live below…

Women coming forward as survivors of the late Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse have accused the Trump administration of “negligence” in its handling of files related to the disgraced financier and called for more “pressure” on the government to release whatever they have.

The Justice Department then released thousands of documents, but not all of them were required by law.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch said earlier in the day that it would take “a few weeks” for his agency to release whatever it has to produce.

“Even with an act of Congress we are seeing exactly the same delay, negligence, corruption, incompetence that we have consistently seen and advocated for,” Jess Michaels, a survivor, told MSNOW on Friday.

Liz Stein, another Epstein survivor, said, “I think the best way the American public can support us is to continue the pressure and demand accountability from our government for releasing all this information.”

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse pressured Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump reluctantly signed into law a month ago.

The bill forces the Justice Department to release all Epstein files by Friday.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton wrote to the judges overseeing Epstein and Maxwell’s cases, saying his office “rigorously reviewed” the files published today and determined that none contained “personally identifiable” victim information, or other information that “would constitute a clearly unreasonable invasion of privacy.”

He also said there could be “excessive cuts” because the Justice Department erred on the side of caution in its limited time frame.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized the Justice Department for only partially releasing the files.

Ocasio-Cortez posted on X about the partial release.

“Now the cover-up is out in the open,” he said. “This is not over yet. Everyone involved needs to answer for this. Pam Bondy, Kash Patel, the entire administration. Protecting a group of rapists and pedophiles because they have the money, the power, and the connections.”

Although the initial round of long-awaited documents include a vast library of sexually explicit images and photographs of high-profile celebrities, it is unclear whether they shed any new light on Epstein’s crimes and his alleged ties to a sex trafficking ring that implicated key executives in exploiting and abusing young girls.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act-related disclosures include hundreds of undated photographs, including those taken inside Epstein’s Manhattan apartment and his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Photographs presented by law enforcement investigating inside his New York property included sex toys and costumes, images of women exposing themselves, folders filled with photographs of nearly naked women, and nude paintings and sculptures of women’s breasts.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Gloria Allred, an advocate for victims of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Asked In a CNN interview on Friday, “The question is: ‘Is there a cover-up?’ What are they hiding? What is there in this that some powerful people might not want to reveal?”

“Why are survivors fighting for the release of all the files? And the reason is they want accountability. If there are rich, powerful, famous men who are engaged in or aiding or conspiring in the sex trafficking of underage girls, they want to know who those people are,” Allred said.

One of the survivors, Maria Farmer – who said she was ignored by the FBI when she reported alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein in 1996 – wrote In a statement released earlier Friday, he was “hopeful” that the release of government files related to Epstein “will be an important step forward for the many survivors and will hold the government accountable for their grotesque law enforcement failure.”

The Justice Department then released thousands of documents, but not all of them were required by law. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch said earlier in the day that it would take “a few weeks” for his agency to release whatever it has to produce.

CBS News justice correspondent Scott McFarlane shared A quote from Maria’s sister Anne Farmer, who says Epstein also sexually abused her: “I have no confidence that everything will come out… A lot of effort, money and time has been put into recovery. Not to protect the victims, but to protect those in power.”

President Donald Trump spoke briefly to reporters this evening but ignored questions about the Epstein files.

He gave a brief statement about cutting drug costs and said negotiations were ongoing with insurance companies.

Trump is scheduled to talk about the economy at a rally in North Carolina tonight.

The Epstein documents released today by the Justice Department include framed photos of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

No allegations of wrongdoing have been made against the president, who has claimed he broke with Epstein as a friend years ago.

In one photo, which was taken inside a desk drawer, Trump was portrayed with a group of smiling women in a grainy photo.

The identity of women has not been modified.

In another framed photo in a desk drawer, partially obscured from view, Trump and Melania are depicted with Epstein’s partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.

That image is already in the public domain.

Another image of Trump, Melania, and Epstein was also taken at Epstein’s desk.

Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the lead Republican who wrote legislation on releasing the Epstein files, criticized today’s document dump.

Massey tweeted his comments on the legislation, quoting his fellow California Democratic representative Ro Khanna and criticizing the partial release.