Lawmakers from both parties agree that this initial release violates the spirit of the law due to its fragmented nature.
Buenos Aires, December 21 (NA) – Jeffrey Epstein, the American multimillionaire convicted of sexual offenses against minors who was found dead in his cell, returned to the center of the world stage this week.
The renewed attention is due to the partial publication of thousands of official documents that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had kept under seal for years, to which the Argentine News Agency gained access.
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Epstein (1953-2019) was a financier who amassed a fortune of over $500 million and cultivated ties with presidents, princes, scientists, and celebrities.
In 2008, he was convicted in Florida for procuring minors, but thanks to a controversial deal with the prosecution, he only served 13 months in jail under a work-release program.
In July 2019, he was arrested again in New York, accused of running a sex trafficking ring of teenagers aged 14 to 17 for two decades.
A month later, he was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan; although the official autopsy determined it was a suicide by hanging, the fact fueled countless conspiracy theories.
A sign on one foot and the book 'Lolita' in the background—images that emerged during the investigation of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
What are the 'Epstein files'?
They are the complete case files from the FBI and Department of Justice investigations: interviews, photographs, messages, contact books, and flight logs from his private jet (nicknamed the 'Lolita Express').
They also include evidence collected from his mansions in New York, Palm Beach, and his private island, Little St. James, in the Caribbean.
Part of this material had already been circulated between 2019 and 2024 as part of civil lawsuits and the trial against Ghislaine Maxwell, his former partner and accomplice, sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.
This week's revelations
On December 19, 2025, in compliance with the 'Epstein Files Transparency Law'—passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in November—the DOJ began uploading more than 13,000 pages and hundreds of photographs to its official website.
Among the highlights:
FBI evidence: images of items seized during the 2007 and 2019 operations. The contact list: phone numbers of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew of England, and dozens of global power figures. Visual records: photos of Epstein with former heads of state and celebrities, as well as images of the victims (with faces obscured to protect their identity). Financial evidence: a $22,500 check signed by Trump in 2001, found among the financier's belongings.
However, controversy erupted because thousands of pages were redacted or taken down hours after their publication, including images linked to Trump, sparking accusations of 'selective censorship' from various political sectors.
The impact in 2025
Although no new names have emerged so far, the massive release has reignited the debate about the cover-up of Epstein's crimes by powerful sectors.
Survivors like Virginia Giuffre and Maria Farmer demand that all redactions be removed to identify accomplices who have not yet been prosecuted.
The DOJ has promised to continue releasing batches in the coming weeks, but discontent is growing in the Capitol.
