00:00The Justice Department releasing a new set of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein,
00:04marking the most extensive public disclosure yet in a case that's fueled political tension for years.
00:09The files were posted online after Congress passed legislation in November forcing their release,
00:15overriding long-standing resistance from the Trump administration.
00:18Trump ultimately signed the bill under pressure from Republican lawmakers
00:22who had demanded transparency around Epstein's case.
00:26What's new is the scope of what's being made public.
00:29The Justice Department releasing thousands of pages of materials from federal investigations into Epstein,
00:35the financier, and convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail in 2019
00:40while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.
00:45Authorities have ruled his death a suicide.
00:48Their records include investigative files, flight logs, travel documents,
00:53internal Justice Department communications, immunity agreements, and materials related to Epstein's death.
00:58Much of it previously sealed or only partially disclosed.
01:03The response was immediate, with users trying to access the documents being placed into online queues
01:08as traffic overwhelmed the Department of Justice website.
01:11Officials emphasized that this is not the final release,
01:14with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche telling lawmakers the volume of materials to be reviewed
01:20meant that it wasn't possible to meet the law's requirement to release all files by Friday.
01:25He said more documents are expected in the coming weeks as officials continue to review records
01:31to protect victims and avoid compromising ongoing investigations.
01:36Among the materials released are photographs and records involving prominent figures.
01:40One trench includes a photo of former President Bill Clinton with the late musician Michael Jackson.
01:45Clinton has denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
01:47The release carries political risk for Trump, who has acknowledged a past social relationship
01:53with Epstein, but says he had cut ties with him decades earlier.
01:57Earlier disclosures this year were criticized as incomplete, fueling anger within Trump's base.
02:03With more records still under review, Friday's release is unlikely to be the last chapter in the Epstein case.
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