Earlier, we reported that Epstein allegedly introduced a 14-year-old girl to Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to court documents which were released by the justice department on Friday.

During the alleged encounter in the 1990s Epstein elbowed Trump and “playfully asked him”, in reference to the girl, “This is a good one, right?”, the document says.

We now have a response from the White House regarding that court document.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, in a statement to the BBC, said the Trump administration was "the most transparent in history".

"By releasing thousands of pages of documents, co-operating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have’, she argued.

In the court filing the victim makes no accusations against the US president and Epstein’s victims have not made any allegations against Trump.

The US president has previously said he was a friend of Epstein's for years, but said they fell out in about 2004, years before Epstein was first arrested. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Image source, Department of Justice

The files contain a painting of Bill Clinton depicted wearing a blue dress. In the painting, the former president is shown with his legs over the arm of a chair, wearing red high heels.

The painting appears to be hung on the wall at a property associated with Epstein.

The image has been released before. Speaking to Artnet News in 2019, Australian-born painter Petrina Ryan‑Kleid explained that she painted the work, titled "Parsing Bill", when she was a student at the New York Academy of Art.

"It was just a silly school artwork that was supposed to show, pictorially, the messages we are bombarded with in regards to these presidents," she told the outlet. She also said it was a "complete surprise" to learn the artwork ended up in Epstein's home, telling Artnet it was sold at a fundraiser held by the school.

Ryan‑Kleid told the outlet that the blue dress is a reference to the dress worn by Monica Lewinsky. The dress was a key piece of evidence in Clinton's affair with his White House intern.

Image source, Reuters

Virginia Giuffre's brother Sky Roberts tells Reuters he has "mixed feelings" following the partial release of the Epstein files. "What are we hiding here?" he asks.

As we've been reporting, the tranche of documents released yesterday is believed to represent just 1% of the files the Department of Justice holds on Epstein.

Giuffre's sister-in-law Amanda Roberts adds that "nothing the Department of Justice does comes as a surprise". She claims it has used the case as a "political toy".

"When there were rumours that potentially the president could be named in there, all of a sudden the story changed," she says. Then it was "hoax" and there was "nothing to see", she adds.

Trump is hardly mentioned in the files released yesterday and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Despite these mixed emotions, Sky Roberts tells Reuters his sister would have felt an "overwhelming amount of joy for her survivor sisters" on Friday.

Some of the photos build on what we already knew, painting a picture of Epstein's jet-setting lifestyle. One shows him lying in a hammock on a beach in a tropical location.

The images reveal little else, but their inclusion in the tranche of documents released yesterday help to give a sense of scale - thousands of photos were amassed through the criminal investigations into the disgraced financier.

Image source, Department of Justice

Image source, Department of Justice

Image source, Department of Justice

As we've been reporting, many of the files released are redacted.

CBS, the BBC's US partner, has found that at least 550 pages in the documents are completely covered by black rectangles.

These include a document we mentioned earlier, with 100 pages fully blacked out. It's unclear what's in the document or why it had to be fully redacted.

The justice department says the redactions are there to protect victims, but the Department of Justice has been criticised by Democrats for violating the transparency law that ordered documents to be released.

Image source, US DOJ

Among the documents is a picture showing Jeffrey Epstein holding an oversized cheque for $22,500.

The cheque is made to look like a payment from Donald Trump to Epstein, and includes a signature which appears to read DJ TRUMP in the bottom right corner.

It appears to be the same oversized cheque seen in another photo released in September, which was accompanied with a caption: "Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells 'fully depreciated' [name redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500."

It's unclear whether Trump knew about the photo, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told reporters it is "absolutely not" the president's signature on the cheque.

Notably, the image released in this latest batch of documents is partially redacted, with a black rectangle placed over the left-hand side of the cheque. It appears to cover half of Epstein's name, and part of the cheque's value.

The image released by the House Oversight Committee in September which appears to show the same cheque does not redact it, but the face of someone posing with Epstein is concealed.

Image source, US HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

Image source, Reuters

Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing criticism for releasing only about 1% of the full volume of the Epstein files, despite a law requiring the full release.

But it’s not the first time the attorney general has been at the centre of controversy over the disgraced financier.

Bondi was Florida attorney general between 2011 and 2019. Questions were raised over whether she could have prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein for sex crimes during her time in office, as Epstein’s home was in the state.

Back in February, during an interview on Fox News, Bondi was asked about a purported Epstein client list. She replied: "It’s sitting on my desk right now to review."

But later, the Department of Justice said no such client list exists.

Bondi’s spokesperson said she was actually referring to the overall Epstein files.

In October, during a tense Senate hearing, Bondi was criticised for dodging questions about the Epstein files. Democrat Dick Durbin asked her if the justice department had flagged anything in the documents related to Donald Trump.

"I'm not going to discuss anything about that with you, senator," Bondi replied.

Despite the criticism, Donald Trump has previously supported Bondi, writing in July: "Let Pam Bondi do her job," and urging his supporters not to "waste time and energy" on Epstein.

The second batch of files released on Friday includes a photo of Epstein with British entrepreneur Richard Branson. Two women are pictured behind them, but their faces have been redacted.

The location is unclear, but appears to be a tropical destination. Branson is wearing a t-shirt and swimming shorts, and there are straw-roofed buildings in the background.

The BBC has reached out to representatives for Branson for comment on the photo. As a reminder, being depicted in the documents does not imply wrongdoing.

Epstein was known for jet-setting with the rich and famous, and hosted many at his private island home in the US Virgin Islands.

Branson has come up previously in released documents. In an undated email, one accuser, Sarah Ransome, claimed to have seen sex tapes in Epstein's possession showing high-profile figures - including Branson.

The New Yorker magazine reported, external in 2019 that Ransome had admitted fabricating the claim but, in an interview in 2024, she said she only walked back on her claims because of threats to her family.

Referring to Ransome's 2024 claims, a spokesperson for Branson’s Virgin Group tells the BBC: “We categorically reject all allegations made by Sarah Ransome. In 2019 she admitted to The New Yorker that the 'tapes' had been 'invented'.

"Any suggestion that Sir Richard Branson was involved in a “sex tape” is entirely false. The allegations are baseless and unfounded.

“The actions of Jeffrey Epstein were abhorrent and we support the right to justice for the many victims impacted by his abuse.”

Image source, Department of Justice

Image source, US DOJ

We’re still searching through the released Epstein files, but here are the people we’ve seen in the pictures so far.

As a reminder, the pictures are released without details on time, place, or context, and being depicted in the images does not imply any wrongdoing.

Bill Clinton: The former US president appears in several pictures, including some in a swimming pool. He’s seen with people including Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Epstein who’s serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Mick Jagger: The Rolling Stones front man is pictured with Bill Clinton and a woman whose face is redacted.

Michael Jackson: He is also seen with Bill Clinton.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: A photo seems to show the former prince lying across five people, whose faces are redacted, with Ghislaine Maxwell behind them.

Peter Mandelson: The former UK ambassador to the US is pictured with Epstein and a large birthday cake. Mandelson has repeatedly said he regrets his relationship with Epstein.

Ghislaine Maxwell: Maxwell appears in many pictures, including one where she’s standing in front of No 10 Downing Street.

We're going through data sets six and seven - the two latest batches released by the Department of Justice.

Just like many files released earlier, a lot of information is redacted.

Image source, US Department of Justice

We've also found a document from an earlier release that's completely covered by black rectangles.

The extensive redactions have been criticised by Democrats for violating the transparency law, but the justice department says it has "erred on the side of redacting to protect victims".

The justice department has this morning released another batch of files - they include redacted court documents, testimonies from alleged victims and communications.

We are combing through them and will bring you more details when we have them.

Image source, ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images

"We're being told the redactions are largely to protect the victims," says Baroness Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer and Labour peer.

"Authorities always have a worry" about "exposing people to yet further denigration in the public mind", she tells the Today programme.

She acknowledges that many Epstein survivors seem "very keen" to have the material exposed, but she adds that they "might not be so keen if they knew exactly what was in there".

She thinks there should be someone working with the justice department "in the interests of the women". They could confirm consent on a more case-by-case basis, allowing certain materials to be made available without redaction, she suggests.

Image source, Reuters

The files released so far by the US Department of Justice make up just about 1% of the reported 300 gigabytes of data from the Epstein investigation.

Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who co-authored the bill that forced the publication of the files alongside Republican Representative Thomas Massie, tells CNN that he and Massie are drafting articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“We haven’t decided whether to move it forward yet, but we’re in the process of doing it,” he says.

Khanna adds that the issue for Bondi is now not about what Democrats think of the release, but that Trump supporters are also “upset with her”.

Khanna also says he was not asking the Department of Justice to release all the documents at once, but the amount released so far is not satisfactory.

“As long as they comply with the spirit of the law, I’m fine,” he says. “But this was in no way complying with the spirit of the law.”

Image source, REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Epstein survivor Liz Stein tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she thinks the Department for Justice is "really brazenly going against the Epstein Files Transparency Act" - the law which requires all documents to be released.

Survivors are really worried about the possibility of a "slow roll-out of incomplete information without any context".

The fight for justice has spanned decades, continents and political administrations, Stein says, adding: "We just want all of the evidence of these crimes out there".

While the release of documents comes at a "great cost" to victims, Stein is hoping it will be a "path to justice".

A little earlier this morning, we heard from Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat on House Oversight Committee. He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm furious, I think they broke the law."

The Department of Justice was supposed to release all of the files on Friday, but only a "fraction" have been released - and they are "heavily redacted", Subramanyam says.

He adds that what has been released seems to "protect certain political people" while highlighting "certain political enemies". Most of the files are things we could already access publicly, he says, adding that a lot seems to be "missing".

"We're going to figure out what legal action we can take, and we're going to pursue that," he says. More files are still due to be released by the Department of Justice, but Subramanyam says "they may not do any more".

"We frankly don't trust them," he adds.

Image source, US Department of Justice

It's been just over 11 hours since the US Department of Justice released a heavily redacted selection of some of the long-awaited Epstein files.

Since then, we've been combing through the 3,965 files which include photos of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's homes, his overseas travels and some famous faces.

Here's what we've learned:

• Photos of former US President Bill Clinton, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Michael Jackson, Peter Mandelson and Diana Ross are included in release - being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing
• President Trump is hardly mentioned in the files, something our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher says will be a relief for the White House
• However, a court document claims that Epstein introduced Trump to a 14-year-old girl at Mar-a-Lago - Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein
• The files are heavily redacted, with black boxes covering some faces, entire pages withheld and personal details such as phone numbers and addresses covered - here's why
• The White House says the Trump administration is the "most transparent in history", as the justice department says it has "erred on the side of redacting to protect victims"
• Meanwhile, Democrats say the partial release violates the transparency law and criticise the extensive redactions

We are continuing to look through the huge dataset and will bring you the key lines as we get them, stay with us.

Image source, US Department of Justice

One photo included in yesterday's document release shows Ghislaine Maxwell posing in front of 10 Downing Street.

She is alone, and there is no context provided with the photo about why she is there or when the image was taken.

We don't know who was prime minister at the time the photo was taken, or in what capacity Maxwell was visiting Downing Street.

Image source, US DOJ

Jennifer Freeman, the attorney representing Epstein accuser Maria Farmer, tells the BBC her client's emotions ranged "from tears of joy to tears of sadness".

"Tears of joy because so much effort was put into trying to get the files released and mountains had to be moved."

At the same time, Freeman also says: "But the tragedy is that it took 30 years. Maria Farmer in 1996 made her report to the FBI, and had the FBI just listened to her and paid attention... over a thousand victims could have been spared and 30 years of trauma avoided."

In that complaint, Farmer said Epstein stole personal photos she took of her 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters. She believed he sold the photos to potential buyers, and said he threatened to burn her house down if she told anyone about it, the FBI's report says.

Earlier, Farmer told the BBC: "Thank you for believing me. I feel redeemed," reacting to the fact that her complaint to the FBI was being included in the released files.

Peter Bowes
North America correspondent

The limited release of documents falls far short of the clarion call for full transparency that's echoed for years around the Epstein case.

Rather than closing the chapter, it has intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration's handling of the affair - which for the president's most loyal supporters has become a test of his long-standing promise to expose any wrongdoing.

The Republican congressman Thomas Massie - a co-author of the law that ordered the release the files in full - said the Justice Department had "grossly" violated its legal obligations.

The documents so far appear to shed little light on Epstein’s network or the failures that allowed his abuse to continue for decades.

But they have left Donald Trump politically exposed, reigniting criticism that his administration could be shielding powerful figures who enabled the late sex offender.

There were 3,965 files released today, totalling three gigabytes of data, according to the BBC's US media partner CBS News.

We're still making our way through the trove of documents, but many have been partially or completely redacted.

How much information is redacted varies. A black box appears on faces in some photos; in other instances entire pages have been withheld.

Image source, US DOJ

Other redactions are expected for releases of this nature - in the image pictured below, someone's address and phone number have been covered with black bars.

Image source, US DOJ

But in other cases, documents have been included in full, such as a 2005 receipt - addressed to Epstein - for a shipment of three books from Amazon.

Image source, US DOJ