Focus on Bill Clinton in Epstein Files raises questions about how curated the documents were

Donald Trump was forced to finally give in to pressure to release the Epstein files last month because the issue, on a politically pragmatic level, was becoming a major distraction in the news cycle, and causing white hot anger in his MAGA base.

It's not clear that the release of a first tranche of documents, on Saturday morning Australian time, will do anything to ease those pressures, particularly as this partial release fails to meet the legal obligation on the much-politicised Department of Justice to release everything by December 19.

The first tranche of thousands of documents and images did not contain any revelations of note, but at time of writing, more batches were continuing to be uploaded.

The thousands of photos — everything from the ones featuring famous people to photos of what appear to be boxes of evidence and photos of CDs and VHS tapes — paint a picture of a life spent with the rich and famous but little that is incriminating to anyone but Jeffrey Epstein.

The fact there is no context for knowing where and when many of the photos were taken, and that so many documents and faces have been redacted, reduces their value.

There are also phone records and, apparently, some case files. But these were so heavily redacted it was impossible to make any sense of them. A 119-page file marked "Grand Jury NY" was totally blacked out.

The focus on former US President Bill Clinton in this first tranche also raises the question of just how curated the release has been for political reasons, as opposed to the reason given by the Trump administration for not releasing the lot: to ensure the privacy of over 1,200 victims and their families is protected.

If the idea was to throw an early focus on the former Democratic president — and the files did not show any wrongdoing other than sitting in a hot tub with Ghislaine Maxwell and an unidentified woman — they suggest there probably isn't anything to come of substance.

Trump's own chief of staff, Susie Wiles, said in an interview published in Vanity Fair this week that "[Trump] is in the file. And we know he's in the file. And he's not in the file doing anything awful."

Notably, while her President has claimed, without evidence, that Clinton visited Epstein's infamous private island, Little St James, "supposedly 28 times", Wiles told Vanity Fair that "there is no evidence" those visits happened.

As for whether there was anything incriminating about Clinton in the files, she said "the president was wrong about that".

A spokesperson for Bill Clinton, Angel Urena, said after the release of the files that "the White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton".

"This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever," he said.

"There are two types of people here.

"The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light.

"The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that."

Tweets about Clinton reveal politics surrounding release

There are relatively few references to Trump in the files.

Just how the Trump White House is seeking to play the politics of this story is revealed in a number of ways.

While White House spokespeople have tweeted the photos of Clinton with messages like "Oh My", the expected release of the documents has also miraculously coincided with a number of other news events.

That includes an announcement of a US airstrike on ISIS fighters in Syria, and an announcement on lower pharmacy prices by President Trump — which he said was a significant enough announcement not to have it ruined by taking questions on other matters at the event.

He then travelled to North Carolina where he gave a rambling hour and half address ostensibly about the economy and cost of living pressures to his base of supporters. But he has stayed silent on the Epstein files.

The only person seriously implicated in revolting behaviour in what has been released so far is Jeffrey Epstein himself.

Which brings us back to the people who have most reason to be bitterly disappointed about the nature of what was released: the victims.

They were hoping for some confirmation of their allegations — confirmation that they had been heard.

Their lawyers said on Saturday (Australian time) that they had once again been let down by the justice system.

There was some closure for one victim however.

Maria Farmer was the first person who, along with her sister Annie, had reported Epstein to authorities.

But nothing happened until 2005.

The New York Times reported that the FBI had never publicly acknowledged she had reported Epstein. When a reporter from the newspaper contacted her with news that the released files contained one report of her complaint dated September 3 1996, she broke down in tears..

Farmer said she was grateful to be "vindicated" but heartbroken that the FBI did not take steps to stop Epstein until years after her report.

"They should be ashamed," Farmer said, adding: "They harmed all of these little girls. That part devastates me."

The Department of Justice is permitted to hold back records that identify victims, or ones that could prejudice a federal investigation.

But it faced accusations that documents withheld, and the extent of redactions, so far seem to go way beyond those limits.

More will be released over the coming weeks.