What can the publication of photos of celebrities in Epstein's house lead to? Analysis

The US Department of Justice has made publicly available an array of materials on the investigation of American financier Jeffrey Epstein, numbering hundreds of thousands of pages. It follows from these papers that new questionable details concern former President Bill Clinton. What the publication of the materials may lead to is in the Izvestia material.

Why did they decide to make it public

• After years of political battles, the law on transparency of Epstein's case materials was passed on November 19. Parliament has given the Ministry of Justice 30 days to publish information about the scandal. Before publication, each file is checked to exclude the disclosure of personal information of victims. Victim protection remains a priority, even if it takes too long to publish.

• On December 19, the US Department of Justice released an additional set of documents on the Jeffrey Epstein case. We are talking about more than 300 thousand pages, the publication of which started on Friday and immediately caused a stir. Due to the overload, the agency's website was temporarily working with an electronic queue for visitors. This is only the first part, and further data disclosure will continue in the coming weeks.

What was published

• The first wave of materials disclosed by the US Department of Justice on the Jeffrey Epstein case turned out to be significantly smaller than expected and mainly consists of photographs of files. Approximately 4,000 files have been shared, mostly photographs taken by FBI agents during searches of the financier's real estate in New York and the Virgin Islands. In addition to the images themselves, images of folders, envelopes, and boxes of investigative materials have been published. At the same time, a significant part of the documents has been edited to exclude any data that could reveal the identity of the victims or contain violent scenes.

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• Photos featuring famous people, in particular former US President Bill Clinton, caused a special resonance. In a number of photographs, he is depicted on Epstein's plane, in the pool with the financier's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as in the Jacuzzi with one of the victims. Clinton himself confirmed the facts of the flights, but through representatives stated that he did not know about Epstein's illegal activities and was not accused of any crimes related to this case.

• There is practically no new information about the American President Donald Trump in the published array. Mentions of it are minimal, and all available images have long been in the public domain. At the same time, the documents contain at least one photo of ex-Prince Andrew of Britain, whose name was previously mentioned in the statements of one of Epstein's accusers.

• The publication was accompanied by sharp criticism from lawmakers of both parties, who accused the Ministry of Justice of hiding a significant part of the evidence. The congressmen pointed to the heavily redacted testimony and promised to achieve full transparency by cooperating with the victims. The Clinton representative, in turn, called the focus on the photos manipulative and said that the former president had stopped any contact with Epstein long before the disclosure of his crimes.

What are the possible consequences?

• At the moment, the publication of materials on the Jeffrey Epstein case does not in itself mean automatic legal consequences for Bill Clinton or other famous people whose names and images appear in the documents. For criminal liability to occur, specific charges are required, supported by the testimony of victims, evidence of participation in illegal actions, or materials indicating complicity, concealment of crimes, or obstruction of an investigation.

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• However, on December 15, it became known that Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary could be held in contempt of the US Congress if they refused to personally testify in the Jeffrey Epstein case. However, the Clintons' lawyers offered to provide affidavits, arguing that their clients did not have important information for the investigation.

• The expert community notes that Epstein has been communicating with representatives of the political and business elite for decades, and the very appearance of a person in his photo archive does not prove involvement in crimes. Many of those mentioned in the pictures have already stated that they did not participate in any illegal actions and reject any such hints.

Influence on Trump's position

The Epstein scandal has had a significant impact on the domestic political dynamics in the White House. Trump's appointees, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi, found themselves in a difficult position. On the one hand, they had to ensure compliance with the law on the protection of personal data, on the other hand, they had to respond to calls from citizens, including Republicans, to make everything public. This created tension between the administration and conservative allies, many of whom saw the Epstein case as a test of Trump's integrity and resolve.

• Unlike previous materials, the current publication does not contain any photos with Trump. The White House uses this as proof of the president's innocence. However, Democrats and some conservatives are confident that Trump's photo was deleted in advance.

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The Jeffrey Epstein case has become a serious problem for Donald Trump. The main parts of the published investigation materials remained classified. This caused discontent among Trump's supporters, who were waiting for the full disclosure of the documents. Although the investigations did not reveal Trump's involvement in Epstein's crimes, the connection with the financier created an atmosphere of distrust.

What is the essence of Epstein's case

Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and millionaire known for his connections to the political and business elite. Since the early 2000s, he has been accused of sexual exploitation of minors using intimidation. In 2008, he escaped serious punishment in Florida thanks to a deal with the investigation, which provoked criticism from human rights activists. In 2019, Epstein was arrested again on federal charges of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of teenagers, but he died in prison in an officially recognized suicide, which raised numerous questions. His accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell received 20 years in prison for aiding and abetting.

• After Epstein's death, the case continued. The victims filed civil lawsuits against people and organizations that could contribute to his activities or turn a blind eye to it. The names of famous personalities appeared in the investigation materials, including Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, ex-Prince Andrew of Britain, singers Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger.

When writing the material, Izvestia took into account the opinions of:

• American political scientist Malek Dudakov.

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