World awaits Epstein cache - but could Trump block full release?

They are the files that America - and the world - has long waited to see: a huge cache of documents at the Department of Justice related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

- Victoria Bekiempis

After a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump last Wednesday, those documents must now be released to the American public and a waiting army of journalists.

Experts interviewed by the Guardian said the documents are certain to contain revelations about Epstein and could embarrass or damn prominent figures in politics, academia, finance and entertainment, including Donald Trump and many others.

But, despite the legal mandate, experts warn that justice department officials could use loopholes to try to hinder a full release, using redactions or withholding crucial documents for a variety of reasons. They warned that even this release of documents could still leave questions unanswered.

The law allows for redaction of information that could identify victims but bars authorities from redacting information - including names - solely out of concerns that it could embarrass them or harm their reputations, or listen to concerns about political sensitivity. Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, said her department would “follow the law and encourage maximum transparency”.

But members of Congress, plus Epstein victims and transparency advocates, have expressed concerns that these files will not be delivered entirely as required.