The Justice Department's (DOJ) release of thousands of documents and pictures related to investigations into Jeffrey Epstein on Friday was highly anticipated and provided a glimpse into the life of the late sex offender and his associations with some of the richest and most powerful people in the world.
But while the partial release — DOJ has said it will continue to release more files — included some never-before-seen pictures, it revealed little that had not already been known.
Extensive redactions and files presented without context have raised further questions. And the fact that DOJ has not yet released all of the materials in its possession sparked bipartisan pushback from lawmakers, who have threatened consequences if the agency does not abide by the law signed by President Donald Trump last month forcing the release of the files.
Here is what the release revealed, and what questions remain.
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Early accuser vindicated
Friday's partial release represented a major triumph for one of Epstein's earliest accusers. Maria Farmer approached law enforcement about Epstein roughly 30 years ago, and has long accused the government of ignoring her accusations.
The release included an FBI document that described a 1996 criminal complaint against Epstein related to allegations of child pornography. The complainant's name is redacted in the document, but Farmer's lawyer confirmed to CNN that the complaint was made by her client.
The release indicates that law enforcement was aware of allegations against Epstein a decade before he was first arrested in 2006.
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The "facts of complaint" part of the document says that the woman — who describes herself as a professional artist — had taken photos of her underage sisters for her own personal artwork.
"Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers," the document reads. "Epstein at one time requested (redacted) to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools." It continued: "Epstein is now threatening (redacted) that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down."
Maria Farmer said in a statement that the FBI had "failed" her and other victims over the years.
Her sister Annie told CNN: "Just to see it in writing and to know that they had this document this entire time — and how many people were harmed after that date? We've been saying it over and over, but to see it in black and white that way has been very emotional."
Lots of new pictures, few major revelations
Epstein was known to have traveled and associated with some of the most high-profile names in politics and show business in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before he was first arrested in 2006. Images released Friday, some of which had never been seen before, showed just how extensive his connections were.
Former President Bill Clinton was prominently featured in Friday's release. One of the most publicised images was a picture of Clinton in a hot tub with his arms folded behind his head. Beside him is a person whose faced is redacted.
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A Justice Department spokesperson said the redacted person is "a victim" of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse.
Clinton has never been charged with any crimes or accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Clinton called on the Trump administration to "immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton."
"Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice's actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation – using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties," said the spokesperson, Angel Ureña, in a statement posted on X.
In a letter sent to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department's extensive review of Epstein-related materials "did not … uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties," which would include Clinton.
A slate of celebrities was also included in pictures released by the Justice Department, including Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. CNN reached out to representatives for Ross and Jackson's estate for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
The pictures were released without much context about when or where they were taken, and a person's inclusion in the files does not mean they knew about Epstein's crimes.
And the release did not include anything close to a so-called "client list." Earlier this year, the Justice Department said that there is no evidence that Epstein kept a "client list", though that has not been enough to tamp down speculation, including among right-wing figures.
Removed files and redactions raise questions
There were few references to Trump, who also associated with Epstein years ago. One exception is an image that included a photo of Trump inside an opened desk drawer.
That image was one of more than a dozen released on Friday that appeared to have been removed from the DOJ website on Saturday.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing or charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein.
The Justice Department said the image was temporarily removed while the agency worked to determine whether more information needed to be redacted to protect victims.
The image was later restored — and DOJ said in a statement that "after the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction."
After the image disappeared from the DOJ website, congressional Democrats accused Trump's Justice Department of orchestrating a cover-up.
The release also faced scrutiny for how extensive, and how at times seemingly inconsistent, some of the redactions were.
A 119-page grand jury report was originally released completely redacted before the Justice Department rereleased it with "minimal redactions" on Sunday.
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The release also included some duplicate images where people were redacted in one image, but not the other.
Blanche said Justice Department officials worked to redact over 1200 names of people who were identified as being victims of Epstein or their relatives, along with child sexual abuse materials, classified national defense or foreign policy information, or information that would jeopardise an active investigation.
The Justice Department acknowledged to a federal court in New York that the "size and scope" of the redaction process it undertook in recent weeks made the result "vulnerable to machine error" and "instances of human error."
Lawmakers slam DOJ for partial release
The law signed by Trump last month which ordered the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days demanded the release of "all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials" related to investigations into Epstein.
But Friday's release was only partial, with DOJ saying there will be more releases to come. Lawmakers from both parties who worked to force the release of the files said they weren't happy.
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Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a leading sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said DOJ's Friday release "grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law" that Trump signed.
Both he and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, the law's co-author, said they were exploring all options.
Khanna said that could include pursuing impeachment if DOJ does not ultimately fully comply.
Survivors slam 'extreme redactions with no explanation'
Epstein survivors have also taken issue with the handling of the release of the files, contending that the disclosures so far have been incomplete and improperly redacted — and challenging to navigate as they search for information about their own cases.
More than a dozen survivors — along with family members of the late victim Virginia Giuffre — raised a myriad of concerns in a new statement, including over "abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation" and what they said were some victims' identities that were left unredacted "causing real and immediate harm."
The DOJ has said that the agency is continuing to work through necessary redactions, and that more documents will be released.
"We're going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims' names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the (Epstein Files) Transparency Act expects," Blanche told NBC's "Meet the Press".
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