Epstein files World awaits their release - but this won't be the end

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 and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

- Victoria Bekiempis

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

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

But at the same time, 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 many Epstein questions unanswered.

Under the law signed on Wednesday, Trump's justice department had 30 days to disclose all files related to Epstein, among them investigative documents into the disgraced financier's death in jail pending his sex-trafficking trial. The much-awaited disclosure would come in the wake of congressional release of tens of thousands of pages provided by Epstein's estate.

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 who heralded the law's passage, plus Epstein victims and transparency advocates, have expressed concerns that these files will not be delivered entirely as required.