Much Ballyhooed Epstein Files Are Out

Attorney General Pam Bondi teased the release of "the Epstein files" as a show of transparency that would become "breaking news." She and other Republicans have suggested the government was concealing files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Some conservative commentators have insisted there are hidden lists of powerful men who abused women and girls alongside him, per Time. Some 200 pages of documents, which Justice Department leaders said had been "declassified," were finally released late Thursday but, as the AP reports, they "didn't include any new bombshells." The files "have largely been circulating ... for years," the outlet notes. And none "had classification markings—or declassification markings," per the New York Times.

There was a list of Epstein's associates and flight logs for his planes, but with the exception of a 118-page flight log produced during Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, the information had been made public long ago, the Times reports. There was also an entirely redacted list of 254 "masseuses" and a list of more than 150 pieces of evidence ranging from nude images to sex toys, though it's clear what investigation it came from, per the AP. The files were first shown Thursday afternoon to a group of conservative influencers—including Jack Posobiec, spreader of the PizzaGate conspiracy—who emerged from the White House holding large white binders. But it appears to have been "mostly political theater," per the Times.

GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna later referenced media reporting that the files would amount to "Epstein's phonebook" and accused the government of "leaking old info to press," per News Nation. Conservative commentator Glenn Beck concluded "the Epstein files are a total joke," while other right-wing media figures suggested a cover-up by the "evil deep state," per NBC News. For the Times, the release "said much about the Trump administration" as "the two most powerful law enforcement officials in the country ... chose to prioritize a long-concluded case to assuage conservative media and ... Trump supporters who see the case as nefarious unfinished business." After Thursday's criticism, Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel vowed to uncover any additional files that might be hidden, per the AP. (More Jeffrey Epstein stories.)