The Justice Department on Thursday released a cache of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including his contact list, flight logs, and evidence gathered against him. However, the approximately 200-page document did not reveal any major new details, largely reaffirming previous reports about Epstein’s high-profile associations.
Among the names found in the contact list released by the DOJ were Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, actor Alec Baldwin, pop star Michael Jackson, Ethel Kennedy—mother of Robert F Kennedy Jr, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and musician Courtney Love. Others listed included Bob Weinstein, brother of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein; billionaire David Koch; late Sen. Ted Kennedy; actor Ralph Fiennes; lawyer Alan Dershowitz; former Secretary of State John Kerry; actor Dustin Hoffman; businessman Jon Huntsman; Ivana and Ivanka Trump; and model Liz Hurley. The list was redacted to remove personal contact details.
While the document release provided insight into Epstein’s network, it was not a “client list” and did not confirm any direct involvement of the listed individuals in illegal activities. The DOJ also included a redacted list of 254 masseuses, blacking out their names as they were considered victims. Additionally, the binder contained flight logs from Epstein’s private jet, the “Lolita Express,” which had previously been made public with redactions.
Disappointment over lack of new disclosures
The release, described as “Phase One,” was met with frustration by those expecting significant revelations. Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler, who was given early access to the documents, told followers in a livestream, “We’re all waiting for bombshells… and that’s not what’s in this binder at all.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who leads a House GOP task force on government transparency, also criticised the release. “THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!” she tweeted.
Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that a witness informed her the FBI’s New York field office had demanded access to additional materials. She has given the FBI a deadline of Friday to provide the outstanding documents.
FBI pledges full transparency
FBI director Kash Patel assured the public that there would be “no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned.” He vowed that if any records had been concealed, they would be uncovered and transparently shared with the DOJ.
Epstein’s “little black book” had previously surfaced in legal proceedings and was made public in 2015. That version, dated 2004-2005, included names such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Prince Andrew, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, singer Jimmy Buffet, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. A separate 1990s-era book later surfaced, containing 349 names, including figures not in the 2015 version, such as President Trump, billionaire Carl Icahn, and former New Republic publisher Marty Peretz.
Epstein’s past and upcoming auctions of documents
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to child prostitution charges in Florida and served a 13-month sentence under a controversial work-release arrangement.
A copy of Epstein’s 1990s contact book was discovered on Fifth Avenue in New York and later sold on eBay for $425. The buyer, Vermont social studies teacher Christopher Helali, now plans to auction it in March, expecting it to fetch up to $50,000.
It remains unclear whether additional Epstein-related files will be released, but the naming of the binder as “Phase One” suggests more disclosures could follow.
