Epstein files live: Survivors express outrage over redacted files after Trump officials accused of cover-up

Epstein survivors have said the release of the heavily redacted files has left them in “shock”.

Critics from both sides of the aisle have accused the DOJ of heavily redacting the materials and failing to meet a legal deadline to share all documents in its possession by Friday.

Marina Lacerda, a Brazilian-born survivor said they were “excited” for the files to come out, but were left disappointed.

She told Sky News: “And when they did come out, we were just in shock, and we see that there is nothing there that is transparent. So it’s very sad, it’s very disappointing.”

In the undated photo, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell appears to peer down and smile at the former prince, who is smiling with his eyes closed and his head near a woman’s lap. The photograph was taken at the royal residence of Sandringham.

Although the latest documents released by the US justice department reveal several famous personalities who socialised with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, US attorney general Pam Bondi says there is no known Epstein “client list” yet.

However, Republican Congressman Tom Massie says he knows of 20 men who have been implicated in Epstein’s crimes.

Known Epstein aide Ghislaine Maxwell also filed a habeas corpus petition last week, claiming there were “at least 25 men with whom there were confidential private settlements” made “that could equally be considered as co-conspirators”.

However, the petition does not publicly list the names of those 25 men.

The latest trove of documents released by the US justice department includes a record of a complaint filed against Epstein in 1996 with the FBI’s Miami office, long before any federal investigation into the convicted sex offender took place.

Although the complainant’s name has been redacted in the DOJ files, her attorney confirmed the document refers to Epstein survivor Maria Farmer, who has long said she reported Epstein to law enforcement in 1996.

In the complaint, Farmer alleges that Epstein stole nude photos of her underage sisters and possibly sold them. She also claims he sought photographs of girls at swimming pools and threatened her to keep silent.

You can read more about Farmer’s latest statement following the DOJ Epstein files release here:

The US justice department’s partial release of documents from the Epstein files reveals that the DOJ has a “different motive”, said Sky Roberts, the brother of Epstein trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre.

“The reality with the DOJ right now is it’s very clear they have a different motive behind them,” Mr Roberts said yesterday.

“It’s another way of creating smoke and mirrors. It’s another way to create this facade that they’re actually doing something when in reality they’re actually not doing anything at all,” he said.

The US department of justice has said it will continue releasing the remaining several hundred thousand Epstein-related files “over the next couple of weeks”, suggesting a phased rollout extending into early January 2026.

However, no precise date has been officially announced by the DOJ.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed last month, mandates that the US justice department make all unclassified Epstein-related records publicly available within 30 days of the law being signed, setting a deadline of 19 December 2025.

While the DOJ released an initial batch of documents on Friday, including photographs, FBI complaints, court records, and other investigative material, it did not publish all the files in its possession, and many of the released documents were heavily redacted.

Lawmakers have criticised the Trump administration for failing to meet the 30-day deadline required under the law.

Senator Jeff Merkley said he was “exploring all avenues and legal tools to get justice for the victims and transparency”.

Although many high-profile names have emerged among people in Jeffrey Epstein’s social circle, most have not been charged with crimes connected to the convicted sex offender, and many have denied any wrongdoing.

There is also no proven or officially confirmed “client list” of individuals who paid Epstein for sex with minors.

The appearance of names in the Epstein files, including references in flight logs or photographs of his properties, does not in itself indicate involvement in sexual crimes.

To date, the only legally proven and convicted associate in Epstein’s sexual crimes is Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in US federal prison for offences including sex trafficking, grooming, and the recruitment of minors.

Another individual accused of being an Epstein co-conspirator was modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who was arrested in France in 2020 but died by suicide in prison in 2022 before his trial.

Other figures whose names frequently appear in relation to the Epstein files include former US president Bill Clinton, current president Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak.

However, there have been no criminal charges or victim testimony under oath accusing them of any crimes involving Epstein.

Observers have pointed out that 16 documents from the Epstein files, which were available yesterday, have disappeared from the Department of Justice website where the files were released.

One of the removed documents included an image stored inside a drawer showing US president Donald Trump alongside Epstein, Melania Trump, and Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Several other missing documents reportedly contained images of paintings depicting nude women, as well as a photograph showing several pictures placed on a credenza and inside drawers.

While the DOJ has not publicly released a detailed index of the missing files, social media users who independently tracked the file list say they identified 16 documents that were possibly removed.