US justice department closes Epstein review, but political scrutiny continues
New Delhi, Feb 5: After releasing millions of documents over the past two months related to its sex-trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the US Department of Justice has said its review is complete and that there are no grounds for new prosecutions, reports the BBC. President Donald Trump has urged the country to move on, but political and public scrutiny of the case shows little sign of fading.
Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the document review, mandated by a law passed by Congress in November, had concluded. While the files contain extensive correspondence, emails and photographs, Blanche said they did not provide sufficient evidence to support criminal charges. “There’s a lot of material, but that doesn’t necessarily allow us to prosecute somebody,” he said. Despite the justice department’s position, Congress is pressing ahead with its own inquiry. The House of Representatives has launched an investigation, with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton scheduled to testify later this month after Republicans warned they could be held in contempt of Congress if they failed to appear. Epstein’s victims and several lawmakers have also demanded further disclosures, arguing that additional documents exist but were not included in the files made public so far.
President Trump, speaking at the White House earlier this week, said it was “really time for the country to get on to something else,” adding that “nothing came out about me.” Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. However, Trump’s name appears thousands of times in the released documents, reflecting his social connections with Epstein during the 1990s, when both lived in New York and Florida. Trump has said the relationship ended in the early 2000s. One email from 2011, released in December, drew attention after Epstein suggested to Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump was a “dog that hasn’t barked,” implying that a victim had spent time with him without raising allegations.
The latest batch of files also included unverified FBI tips, some submitted during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, alleging sexual misconduct by Trump, Epstein and other prominent figures. The justice department said these claims were unfounded and lacking evidence, and criticised their circulation as misleading. A temporary removal of some of these tips from the department’s website sparked accusations from critics that officials were shielding the president.
The document releases have had greater consequences for other high-profile figures whose ties to Epstein continued after his 2008 conviction. Several prominent business and political figures have faced professional or reputational damage following disclosures of correspondence or meetings with Epstein. Democrats have questioned whether the justice department has withheld documents that could be damaging to Trump. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for confirmation that all files referencing the president have been released, including internal memos and earlier police reports.
Epstein’s survivors have also criticised the justice department, saying the release process has been delayed, incomplete and harmful, particularly where victims’ names were disclosed. “We’re not satisfied, and we’re not going to stop fighting,” said one survivor, Lisa Phillips. While anger among some of Trump’s supporters over the Epstein disclosures appears to have eased, the issue remains politically charged. Democrats are demanding access to unredacted records and warn that future subpoenas could be issued if control of the House changes after the midterm elections. Although the president has sought to close the chapter on the Epstein affair, years after the financier’s death, the case continues to cast a long political shadow in Washington.
