Survivors search the Jeffrey Epstein files but find no sign of their evidence

When the first wave of Epstein files appeared online, survivor Jess Michaels didn't look for revelations — she searched for her own name. 

She clicked and scrolled for hours, trawling for recognisable details of her own abuse suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. But she found nothing.

"It was exactly what we expected," she said.

Ms Michaels said she had given an FBI interview and victim statement, yet found no trace of it in the vast trove published online.

The Department of Justice on Friday released the first tranche of long-awaited investigative files into the crimes of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, in line with a deadline set by Congress.

Under federal law, the department was obligated to release the full trove of records, but on the day of the deadline it acknowledged that not all documents would be immediately made public, saying "hundreds of thousands more" would be released in the "next couple of weeks".

The partial release, which includes hundreds of heavily redacted pages, has drawn criticism from politicians across party lines and survivors seeking answers.

Ms Michaels is the earliest publicly known survivor of the late disgraced financier.

She was recruited into Epstein's world at age 22 while pursuing a career as a professional dancer after her roommate offered to introduce her to "a wealthy Wall Street guy".

Ms Michaels said she was later raped by the notorious predator.

More than 30 years later, Ms Michaels remains unconvinced that she, or the more than 1,000 victims of Epstein's abuse, will ever see meaningful justice.

More questions than answers

The first tranche offered images of sprawling properties, palatial pools and private jets alongside hundreds of heavily redacted pages, but did little to resolve the mysteries at the heart of the Epstein scandal.

The saga surrounding the late paedophile has gripped the public's fascination for years, fuelled by his connections to celebrities, dignitaries and prominent politicians, including US President Donald Trump.

Mr Trump was friends with Epstein for about 20 years, but has always denied any wrongdoing and says the two had a falling out before Epstein's crimes came to light.

Before his election, Mr Trump promised to release the Epstein files but since his return to office, he has frequently called them a scam and a "Democratic hoax".

While survivor Danielle Bensky was disheartened by the partial release, describing it as a "prolonged ache that doesn't need to be dragged out," she also feels validated.

"Just to see the pictures of where I stood in the massage room and in the office, they're hard to look at and that takes a toll on you," she said.

"But we also know how important it is for the public to see that after the president has called us a hoax so much of the time, we are in fact not a hoax.

"There were so many moments and so many pictures that I was like, 'OK my memory didn't fail me.'"

Ms Bensky was 17 years old when she fell into Epstein's orbit.

Her mother had been diagnosed with a brain tumour, and the disgraced financier leveraged that illness to repeatedly sexually abuse her, threatening to withhold treatment for her mother if she told anyone.

She too was looking for certain documents when the files dropped — from her FBI interview to security camera footage from his New York mansion — both of which she couldn't find.

"People saw us coming and going and we know that there were cameras everywhere," she said.

Ms Bensky said survivors had heard nothing from the Department of Justice prior to the initial release, but that she had been told Attorney General Pam Bondi was willing to meet with them in the coming weeks.

"I just want answers … like why these files first of all, why not the complete [files]?" she said.

Clinton in the files

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Justice officials needed more time to make sure the names and identities of any victims were fully protected.

A top lawyer at the Justice Department reportedly also wrote to a judge who oversaw criminal cases into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to explain that the department erred on the side of "over-redaction" because of the compressed time frame and need to protect victims.

As accusations of a cover-up mounted, US politicians called for Ms Bondi to face consequences.

Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, and California Democrat Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the Epstein Files Transparency Act through Congress, both signalled that they were looking at all options.

"Unfortunately, today's document release … grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law that Donald Trump signed just 30 days ago," Mr Massie wrote on social media.

He warned a future administration could convict Ms Bondi and others for violating the law.

The pair also flagged the possibility of future impeachments and holding people in contempt of Congress.

Amid the photographs of celebrities and high-flyers that were made public, former President Bill Clinton features prominently.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson posted one of the photos on social media and wrote: "We did see something. Just not what you wanted."

The images don't include any context about when or where they were taken, and being pictured in the files does not imply wrongdoing.

A spokesman for Mr Clinton accused the White House of trying to manipulate the release of the files.

"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," Angel Ureña said in a statement.

"So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be."

Mr Ureña went on to say Mr Clinton knew nothing of Epstein's crimes and had cut him off when they came to light.

As the files were released, a White House spokeswoman defended the administration, calling it "the most transparent in history" and saying it had "done more for the victims than Democrats ever have".

Ms Michaels disputed that account, accusing the Trump administration of a "chaotic cover-up".

"This was your moment, this was your chance, and you blew it," Ms Michaels said of the department.

"I really believe that it's done — we start filing [law]suits now and calling for dismissals."

While Ms Michaels remains doubtful that truth or transparency will ever be achieved, Ms Bensky is more hopeful.

Six months ago, she told the ABC it was important "to be seen and heard and find accountability".

On Monday, she said she saw growing support and momentum behind survivors that feels like the beginning of justice after decades of waiting.

"This goes far beyond what my scope was at that point … because I didn't think we would ever be able to be in a place where we could expose the rich and powerful.