A new batch of Jeffrey Epstein records landed online Friday, and the images carry a warning before you even click.
The Department of Justice posted the material on its website and grouped it into four datasets. The release includes photographs from Epstein’s homes, including rooms with nude artwork and bright blue carpeting. The DOJ gave no background for images that show people, so the pictures leave viewers to guess what they mean.
The documents also map Epstein’s contacts with famous names. They reference Michael Jackson, Sir Mick Jagger, Kevin Spacey, and others. Former president Bill Clinton appears often in photographs, including party scenes and images that show him swimming with women. Clinton responded strongly and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. The disclosure adds to a wave of more than 600,000 pages released this year, after the Trump administration called itself the “most transparent in history” following Friday’s posting.
The files appear to come from three investigations into crimes against young women. They include a 2005 police case in Palm Beach, Florida, a federal probe that ended in Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, and a 2019 Manhattan investigation that stopped when Epstein died in jail while he awaited trial. A name or photo alone does not prove wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
If you choose to look, pace yourself. Read the labels. Keep the context gap in mind. Then close the tab and return to what you can control.