US justice department releases thousands of new Epstein-linked documents

At least 8,000 new documents related to the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were available on Tuesday on the US Department of Justice's site (DOJ).

The DOJ has been accused of withholding information and was criticised by Democrats over the slow release and heavy redaction of records from the investigation into Epstein.

The new files include hundreds of videos or audio recordings, notably surveillance footage from August 2019, the month Epstein was found dead in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The DOJ posted around 11,000 links to new documents online, but some of them appeared to lead nowhere.

Promptly afterwards, the Justice Department said the latest batch of released files contains claims against President Donald that are "untrue and sensationalist".

"If they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already," the Justice Department said on X, without specifying which allegations were false.

Congress nearly unanimously passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which mandated the complete release of the Epstein files by last Friday.

A group of victims earlier complained that only a "fraction" of the files were released, and even those were "riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation".

EFTA co-sponsors Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican, threatened to bring contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to comply with the law.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a resolution on Monday calling for legal action against the administration for failing to release the complete Epstein files.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blamed the delay on the need to redact the identities of Epstein's more than 1,000 victims, and on Sunday denied allegations of protecting Trump, who was formerly a close friend of Epstein's.

Trump had initially tried to block the disclosure of the files.

But the president, who cut ties with Epstein years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing, finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress and signed the law compelling publication of the files.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)