The release of millions of pages of Epstein files Friday has raised more questions than it has answered.
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's private communications continue to reveal the web of powerful figures who sought his friendship and counsel. Internal notes from the Justice Department show the extent of allegations made against Epstein — but also against others who have not faced criminal charges for sex trafficking.
Speaking on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said new charges for anyone are unlikely.
"I can't talk about any investigations, but I will say the following, which is that in July, the Department of Justice said that we had reviewed the 'Epstein files,' and there was nothing in there that allowed us to prosecute anybody," he said. "We then released over 3 1/2 million pieces of paper, which the entire world can look at now and see if we got it wrong."
Here are four takeaways from the latest release of the Epstein files.
The files aren't organized and have issues with redactions
NPR's review of the documents has found numerous examples of the Justice Department failing to redact names of publicly identified victims of sexual abuse as well as names of individuals who have not previously been publicized.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Trump last year, called for the Justice Department to minimize its redactions while turning over information about the life and death of Epstein and the criminal charges he and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell faced. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, crimes she committed with Epstein.
Those redactions, too, are inconsistent with what the law directs.
"In addition to the documentary redactions, which includes personal identifying information, victim information and other privileges, there is extensive redaction to images and videos to protect victims," Blanche said Friday, announcing the final batch of files. "We redacted every woman depicted in any image or video, with the exception of Ms. Maxwell. We did not redact images of any men unless it was impossible to redact the woman without also redacting the man."
But multiple examples can be found in the Epstein files repository that show the faces of women and hide the faces of men, including one text message conversation between former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Epstein where Trump's face in a news article was obscured with a black box.
The files aren't shared in chronological order or grouped in any identifiable way. Countless duplicate copies of email threads, investigative files and correspondence are spread throughout the database, sometimes with different levels of redactions applied.
The same PowerPoint presentation prepared last fall by the Justice Department detailing the timeline and cases against Epstein and Maxwell, alleged victims and powerful figures in his orbit who faced allegations of misconduct appears six times with different information blocked out in each version.
Annie Farmer, one of the women who testified in court against Epstein and Maxwell, told NPR's All Things Considered on Monday that the redaction issues felt intentional.
"There's just no explanation for how it could've been done so poorly," she said. "They've had victims' names for a very long time. I don't think this is just about rushing to get this information out."
A Department of Justice spokesperson said in a statement to NPR that the department "takes victim protection very seriously and has redacted thousands of victim names in the millions of published pages to protect the innocent."
"The Department had 500 reviewers looking at millions of pages for this very reason, to meet the requirements of the act while protecting victims," the statement reads. "When a victim's name is alleged to be unredacted, our team is working around the clock to fix the issue and republish appropriately redacted pages as soon as possible. To date, 0.1% of released pages have been found to have victim identifying information unredacted."
That number, if taken at face value, would suggest more than 3,000 pages revealed sensitive information about Epstein victims.
The dedicated website for the trove of documents also provides direction on how to report files containing personally identifying information.
Epstein's connections are vast and personal
Epstein surrounded himself with wealthy and influential people throughout his life from a variety of disciplines and ideologies. A revealing prison psychiatric evaluation, published following his death by suicide while awaiting a federal trial in 2019, said the enigmatic financier had few close friends, despite having a huge social circle.
"He had been a successful, wealthy businessman with a number of high-profile acquaintances that he accumulated through a combination of charisma, charm, and intelligence. Despite his many associates, he had limited significant or deep interpersonal ties," the evaluation said. "Although Mr. Epstein appeared to cultivate a large social and professional network, he was estranged from his only brother. Indeed, his identity appeared to be based on his wealth, power, and association with other high profile individuals."
The more than 3 million pages released by the Justice Department last Friday show how many of his relationships with prominent figures in Hollywood, finance and politics continued well after Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of sex crimes. Appearing in the files and in communications with Epstein is not an indication of wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
Epstein and billionaire Elon Musk were in contact several times over many years, according to these documents, including several unsuccessful attempts for the two to meet.
"What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?," Musk asked in 2012.
"sorry we didn't connect," Epstein wrote a few weeks later.
The newest batch of files includes numerous messages with the spiritualist Deepak Chopra about his finances, notes from a meeting with the founder of popular image board 4chan, Christopher Poole, and more conversations with figures like former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and former Clinton Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who have already faced scrutiny for their Epstein ties.
A look into Epstein's finances
Epstein's notoriety stems in part from his work as a financial adviser and his sizable wealth.
The new files fill in some pictures about his money and how he used it. As a child, Epstein attended the Interlochen Center of the Arts, a nonprofit that runs an arts-focused school and summer camp, in the summer of 1967. Records show Epstein participated in programs for the bassoon, radio and orchestra.
These records from Interlochen released by the DOJ also show that Epstein donated close to $400,000 to the center, which has a campus in Michigan, from 1990 to 2003.
Epstein's history at the camp and years of donations were confirmed by the center last December. The organization said it distanced itself from Epstein after his conviction in 2008.
The organization said, "Interlochen conducted an internal review and found no record of complaint or concern about Epstein. All donor recognition in his name was removed from campus at that time. Subsequent to Epstein's second arrest in July 2019, we again reviewed our records and found no report or complaint involving Epstein within our records."
Epstein and his ex-girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell are alleged to have used the Interlochen campus as a hunting ground, however. During Maxwell's criminal trial, a woman testified that she met the couple when she was a girl while in between classes at the camp in the early '90s. The couple gained her mother's trust and when she returned home to Florida, the girl and her mother visited Epstein and Maxwell. Afterward the girl said she was groomed and sexually abused.
Interlochen said in a statement following this testimony, "No abuse is alleged to have taken place on the Interlochen campus. Our policies, then and now, do not permit unsupervised contact between students and donors."
Epstein updated his trust two days before death
Just two days before his death by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell Aug. 10, 2019, Epstein updated his will for the last time. He planned to dole out his considerable wealth to a host of friends, employees, business associates and his brother's children upon his death.
The deceased sex offender and disgraced financier's trust, which was not previously made public, details how Epstein wanted his millions of dollars, and his properties including the infamous Little Saint James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, distributed to at least 44 people.
Epstein signed his trust on Aug. 8, 2019. The document was signed by his longtime lawyer Darren Indyke on Aug. 18, 2019, eight days after Epstein's death. His accountant, Richard Kahn, signed it two days later.
Under this trust, Indyke was set to get $50 million and Kahn $25 million.
Epstein's last known girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, was set to get the bulk of Epstein's fortune, including $50 million outright a year after his death, his New Mexico Zorro Ranch property, his two properties in the U.S. Virgin Islands, his Paris apartment, his Palm Beach home and his Upper East Side townhouse in Manhattan.
Epstein also bequeathed Shuliak multiple pieces of jewelry, including an almost 33 carat diamond ring and 48 separate loose diamonds previously given to her "in contemplation of marriage," the trust says in a handwritten note in blue ink.
Maxwell and Epstein's brother were set to get $10 million each, with Mark Epstein's share intended to go to a trust to benefit his children.
It's unclear how much money each of these beneficiaries actually received following Epstein's death. At the time of his death, his estate was valued at close to $600 million, according to court documents from the U.S. Virgin Islands. But after he died, victims of Epstein received more than $120 million from a fund dedicated to compensating more than 100 victims.
According to the records released by the DOJ, the former billionaire updated and amended his will and trust more than two dozen times over many years. The regular changes offer some insight on the prominent people who circled in and out of Epstein's inner circle over the years.
In a version of Epstein's trust from 2012, Jean Luc Brunel, a modeling scout and close associate of Epstein's for decades, is listed as getting as much as $5 million.
Brunel was arrested in 2020 by French authorities and held on charges of rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Before he could face trial, he died by suicide in a French jail cell.
Brunel denied any wrongdoing.
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