More than 33,000 pages of files on the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released by a United States House of Representatives committee.
The case of Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, has caused a political headache for Republican President Donald Trump, after many of his supporters embraced a slew of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein.
A July Reuters/Ipsos poll found that majorities of Americans and of Mr Trump's Republicans believed the government was hiding details on the case.
The first batch of files, released on Tuesday, local time, largely included court documents and other previously released information relating to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, as Republican party leadership looked to end a push by a bipartisan pair of politicians to force a vote on the matter.
The documents were being uploaded to a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform website, Republican committee chairman James Comer said.
"We're in the process of uploading those documents for full transparency so everyone in America can see those documents," he said.
"It's going as quick as we can get them uploaded.
"We want those to be public as soon as possible."
Mr Comer also told NBC News that there was "nothing new in the documents" that he ordered to be released by the panel.
"Nearly everything Republicans just supposedly 'released' … has already been released," said Democratic US Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts in a post on X.
What do the released Epstein files contain?
The committee released the thousands of pages and videos via Google Drive, leaving it to readers and viewers to decipher new and interesting tidbits of information on their own.
The files included audio of an Epstein employee describing to a law enforcement official how "there were a lot of girls that were very, very young" visiting a home, but couldn't say for sure if they were minors.
Over the course of Epstein's visits to the home, the man said, more than a dozen girls might visit, and he was charged with cleaning the room where Epstein had massages, twice daily.
Some pages were almost entirely redacted. Other documents related to Epstein's Florida prosecution that led to a plea deal that has long been criticised as too lenient, including emails between the defence and prosecutors over the conditions of his probation after his conviction.
Barbara Burns, a Palm Beach County prosecutor, expressed frustration as the defence pushed for fewer restrictions on their client.
"I don't know how to convey to him any more than I already have that his client is a registered sex offender that was fortunate to get the deal of the century," she said.
Some of the interviews with officers from the Palm Beach Police Department date to 2005, according to time stamps read out by officials at the beginning of the files.
Notably, the probable cause affidavit and other records from the 2005 investigation into Epstein contained a notation indicating that they had been previously released in a 2017 public records request.
An internet search showed those files were posted to the website of the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office in July 2017.
The materials also include at least eight videos of apparent police interviews with victims.
In one video, a girl whose appearance and name are edited out said Epstein paid her $US350 ($537) for a massage and sex when she was 17 years old.
"He has the girls take off their clothes and give him a massage," she said in the 17-minute video.
Push for further disclosure continues
Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, have proposed a measure that would require the Justice Department (DOJ) to release all of its unclassified Epstein records — including those held by the FBI and US attorneys' offices.
Mr Massie and Mr Khanna are expected to hold a press conference with Epstein victims on Wednesday morning, local time.
Mr Massie told the Axios news outlet on Tuesday that he would push ahead despite the latest document release.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Mr Massie's petition was "inartfully drafted" because it lacked language that would protect the identities of victims who were sexually abused by Epstein.
Mr Johnson also said the petition was "moot" due to the work of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which released thousands of pages of files.
"It's superfluous at this point, and I think we're achieving the desired end here," he said.
Other records include audio recordings from the criminal investigation of Epstein in Florida, including what appeared to be an interview with a victim whose name and date of birth were edited out.
The committee has subpoenaed the DOJ and Epstein's estate for documents and Maxwell for a deposition.
The House committee said in a statement that it expected to receive more records from the Justice Department and they were being redacted to protect "victim identities" and remove "any child sexual abuse material."
The House committee also heard closed-door testimony on Tuesday from victims of Epstein and Maxwell.
"The stories were horrific and infuriating," Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House committee, said on X.
"In the days and weeks ahead, we will be hearing more from these victims."
Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-level connections, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.
Mr Trump's supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and held as an article of faith that "deep state" elites were protecting Epstein associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood — but not the president.
Many of Mr Trump's supporters have been up in arms since the FBI and Justice Department said in July that Epstein had committed suicide, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a "client list."
The DOJ released a transcript and audio recording last month of an interview with Maxwell in which she said Mr Trump was friendly with Epstein but was "never inappropriate with anybody."
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein, was interviewed by Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche, Mr Trump's former personal lawyer.
The 63-year-old Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, was moved from a prison in Florida to a minimum-security facility in Texas after the interview with Blanche.
AFP/Reuters
