By CNN staff, CNN
(CNN) — The Justice Department released thousands of files related to sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein after Congress passed a law forcing the Trump administration to do so.
Friday’s release didn’t contain all the files as the DOJ said it will continue releasing more in the coming weeks.
CNN reporters went through the thousands of files, and you can read highlights below:
Editor’s Note: This story contains graphic and disturbing descriptions of sexual violence.
New batch of photos shows FBI’s evidence against Epstein
From CNN’s Marshall Cohen
The Justice Department released a batch of photos — in addition to Friday’s earlier disclosures — showing some of the evidence gathered in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The new files were posted to the Justice Department website after 7 p.m. ET, approximately four hours after the initial massive tranche of materials was released earlier in the day. They contain about 120 photos, mostly depicting FBI evidence boxes and envelopes.
The materials include dozens of hard drives, old CDs and computers. One image appears to show a dog stuffed inside a box. It’s been previously reported that Epstein kept a taxidermied poodle.
It’s unclear where these pictures came from, but the Justice Department previously said some of the materials in Friday’s release would include information from Epstein-related search warrants. The FBI raided Epstein’s homes in Florida and New York, and his private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Bill Clinton was in hot tub with one of Epstein’s victims, DOJ official says
From CNN’s Marshall Cohen
A Justice Department spokesperson said Friday that the redacted person in one of the new widely circulated photos of former President Bill Clinton in a hot tub is “a victim” of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse.
The spokesperson, Gates McGavick, posted the image to X and wrote, “Beloved Democrat President. The black box is added to protect a victim.”
The Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Justice Department to redact things that could potentially identify victims who were sexually abused. However, it’s not clear that every redaction in every photo was made to protect a confirmed victim. For instance, an older man’s face was redacted in some images.
Clinton has never been charged with any crimes or accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. A spokesperson for Clinton said in a statement Friday that the Trump administration was “shielding themselves from what comes next.”
The statement added that the former president did not know about Epstein’s crimes and had cut off the relationship before those crimes came to light.
“There are two types of people here,” the spokesperson, Angel Ureña, said. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first.”
In a letter sent to Congress Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department’s extensive review of Epstein-related materials “did not … uncover evidence