After months of back-and-forth — during which Donald Trump notably called the Jeffrey Epstein files a “hoax” — the Department of Justice finally released the documents, with 119 pages of the grand jury verdict completely redacted. What did appear, however, was a litany of photos showing public figures holidaying with the convicted child sex offender. Former President Bill Clinton — who appeared in several of the images — has now broken his silence, challenging Trump to be transparent about his own involvement.
The files were released in a manner in which Trump is not mentioned once. This is despite him being the most referenced individual in Epstein’s emails and his own chief of staff, Susie Wiles, recently admitting that Trump was heavily mentioned in the files. Members of Congress took to X questioning whether the blacked-out ruling truly complied with the law requiring the administration to disclose what it found in its investigation.
Did Trump’s DOJ really think dropping hundreds of blacked-out pages counted as complying with the law?
— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) December 20, 2025
I know it’s a bunch of unqualified folks with no backbone over there, but this is next-level.
They ignored a lawful subpoena, recycled public records, and conveniently left… pic.twitter.com/8qwmnugr39
Trump’s absence from the files was expected after earlier reports suggested that the president may have directed staff to scrub any mentions of his name. As things stand, however, that remains speculation. There is no way of proving that he was directly involved in Epstein’s alleged child trafficking, and it is unlikely that Congress will challenge him in the near future. The administration appears intent on sweeping the issue under the blizzard of the holiday season.
Several photographs did emerge, however. They included Sir Richard Branson, Noam Chomsky, Rush Hour star Chris Tucker, Kevin Spacey, and most prominently, former President Bill Clinton. One photo shows Clinton swimming in an indoor pool alongside Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein. Another shows Clinton aboard a private jet with a woman sitting on his lap. Without context, the images look highly incriminating for a former president who already carries a history of sex-related scandals.
According to Newsweek, Clinton’s chief of staff, Angel Ureña, released a statement that read in part: “This is not about Bill Clinton. Even [White House chief of staff] Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton. Everyone — especially MAGA — expects answers, not scapegoats.”
It is worth noting that the Justice Department has stated it found no evidence to justify further investigations or additional charges against any public figures. On a surface level, that appears to bolster Clinton’s point.
If Clinton were as deeply involved as the optics suggest, criminal charges would presumably follow in some form. And if presidential immunity applied to him, then other individuals should logically be the focus instead. If this release is merely a distraction — meant to make Trump’s proximity to Epstein more palatable to his base — then it is a deeply insulting one.
For years, those close to Trump have downplayed his inclusion in the Epstein files, only for the documents to be released in heavily redacted form and devoid of any reference to him. That absence only reinforces the perception that he has something to hide. But perhaps his base no longer wants to open that Pandora’s box. All that means, however, is that the Epstein victims will not see any justice in their lifetime.
Published: Dec 20, 2025 01:59 pm