Bensky added that, despite this, the revelation confirms the veracity of the victims’ complaints: “There’s a part of me that feels a little validated at this point, because I think a lot of us have been saying ‘no, this is real, we’re not a hoax’.”
Maria Farmer, another survivor, praised the release of the child pornography report she made to the FBI included in the files. “This is incredible. Thank you for believing in me. I feel redeemed. This is one of the best days of my life”, she reacted through the lawyers representing her, although she regretted that other victims, such as Virginia Giuffre, were harmed because the FBI “didn’t do its job”.
Many Democratic senators criticized the files released by the Trump Administration, saying they will take legal action against Attorney General Pam Bondifor allegedly not having complied with the law that requires the declassification of files.
For his part, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche warned on Friday that It will not be possible to publish all the documents required by law at once, due to their volume, and he anticipated that the Department of Justice plans to release “several hundred thousand more” files in the coming weeks.
The US Department of Justice began releasing files on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. The release included photographs, telephone call records, jury testimony and some documents and records that were already in the public domain.
The documents may contain the most detailed analysis to date of nearly two decades of government investigations into Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and underage girls.
The release of these documents has long been demanded by public opinion, which is interested in knowing whether any of Epstein’s rich and powerful associates were aware of — or participated in — the abuse.
Epstein’s accusers have also been searching for answers for some time about why federal authorities closed their initial investigation into the allegations in 2008.
Giving in to pressure from his political camp, Republican Donald Trump signed into law on November 19 a bill that gives the Department of Justice 30 days to release most files and communications related to Epsteinincluding information about the investigation into his death in federal prison.
The passage of the law was a remarkable demonstration of bipartisanship that overcame months of opposition from Trump and Republican leadership.
The death of Jeffrey Epstein, found dead in his cell in New York on August 10, 2019, before being tried for sexual crimes, fueled numerous conspiracy theories according to which he was murdered to hush up a scandal involving prominent figures in the country.
Donald Trump promised, during the 2024 presidential campaign, bombshell revelations about the “Epstein case”, a billionaire with whom he was friends for decades.
However, in recent months, the Republican President has changed his speech, classifying the case as a “farce” set up by the Democratic opposition.
Some of the photos already released show Epstein in an office with Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trumpposing with filmmaker Woody Allen and left-wing intellectual Noam Chomsky apparently aboard a private jet.
Other images show passports and identity cards belonging to Ukrainian, Russian and South African women, with their names and photos crossed out.
The existence of links between Epstein and the people depicted was known and none of the photos released since last week appear to reveal any criminal behavior.
Last week, Democratic congressmen had already released several images, including of Trump and former President Bill Clinton, as well as former British Prince Andrew.
Others pictured were Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.