Here’s What’s in the DOJ’s Epstein File Release—and What’s Missing

The United States Department of Justice on Friday published the first of an unknown number of releases of documents related to infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The nearly 4,000 files contain a hodgepodge of photos, handwritten notes, and more. What they do not contain are any clear revelations about who else may be criminally implicated in Epstein’s abuse network.

Released in four volumes, the 3,951 documents the DOJ included in Friday’s release represent only a fraction of the files the department is required to release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Democratic lawmakers scolded the DOJ for withholding large portions of its archive, accusing the department of failing to comply with the law’s disclosure mandate.

The documents the Justice Department did release contain hundreds of images of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his one-time girlfriend and convicted accomplice in a years-long sex trafficking operation, along with ...