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Epstein files release: First Trump reference in heavily redacted photo; ‘a $22,500 novelty check’
The Justice Department released thousands of pages of documents related Jeffrey Epstein on Friday
The Justice Department released thousands of pages of documents related to its investigation into convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. After digging through some photos from Epstein's parties and residence, we found one image with a reference to President Donald Trump.
In the photo, Epstein could be seen standing with a woman whose face is blacked out. They are both holding a giant novelty check for $22,500, with a Trump signature on it. The picture is in a frame that says ‘Once in a blue moon’.
While it is unclear when and where the photo was taken, the check appears to match one previously seen in images of a birthday book Ghislaine Maxwell compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday. That same page featured a note from a Mar-a-Lago member making a joke about selling a ‘fully depreciated’ woman to Trump for $22,500.
Read More: Epstein file release update: DOJ ‘breaking the law’; massive uproar after latest announcement
The White House has not addressed the photo yet. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Trump appeared ‘in this initial tranche of documents only a handful of times’. The publication added that one image appears to show an array of photos in which he is posing with women.
The release of the new set of documents, mandated by Congress and due Friday, is expected to span several hundred thousand records, with more to follow in the coming weeks, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. He said prosecutors are withholding material tied to active investigations and obscuring details to protect victims’ identities, adding that “no new charges” are expected.
The files include numerous photographs depicting Epstein alongside well-known individuals, among them former Democratic President Bill Clinton and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
Several previously unseen images involving Clinton quickly drew attention. One shows a younger-looking Clinton reclining in a hot tub, partially obscured by a large black rectangle. Another appears to show Clinton swimming with a dark-haired woman believed to be Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The disclosure also includes seven pages listing 254 masseuses, with every name concealed beneath thick black bars labeled “redacted to protect potential victim information.” Other documents contain dozens of censored images showing nude or scantily clad figures, as well as photographs of Epstein and unidentified companions posing with firearms, their faces obscured.
The White House seized on the appearance of Clinton in the newly published material.
“Slick Willy! @BillClinton just chillin, without a care in the world. Little did he know...” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X.
“Oh my!” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added.
Democrats sharply criticized the scope and presentation of the release. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the administration of shielding the president, calling the partial disclosure “a cover-up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past.”
