It has been more than 24 hours since the Department of Justice (DOJ) released the latest trove of photos, documents, flight logs and notes relating to federal investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The files were highly anticipated after Congress passed a law mandating the files be released in their entirety by Friday.

The White House earlier declared that the Trump administration is the "most transparent in history". However, only a fraction of the documents have been released and of the thousands which have - dozens have been blacked out and redacted.

Democrats on the Oversight Committee have also queried whether some pieces of material have been removed after being published.

The US government has said omissions have been required to protect victims and for continuing investigations - but Epstein's victims have expressed growing anger over the quality and limited amount of files that have been released so far.

We're expecting hundreds and thousands more pieces of material to be released in the coming days and weeks - we will bring you the latest key pieces as we come across them.

Until then, for further reading while we pause our coverage, head here for a detailed analysis of who and what is in the latest Epstein files.

As we reported a little earlier, Democrats on the Oversight Committee have raised questions about one file among those released yesterday which appears to be no longer available on the DOJ's website.

According to the BBC's US partner CBS News, there's at least 15 image files that no longer appear on the site.

It is not yet clear why these files are missing and the DOJ has not responded to a request for comment about the discrepancy.

CBS News downloaded the complete set of documents yesterday and compared it to what is available today.

Photos of a room with what appears to be a massage table and nude images and paintings are no longer available.

Neither are images of framed photos - including one of someone who appears to be Pope John Paul II - and, in an open drawer, a framed photo of Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Image source, Department of Justice/Reuters

A selection of some of the long-awaited Epstein files was finally made public on Friday - the official deadline for their release. The files are heavily redacted, with entire pages blacked out and black boxes concealing faces in hundreds of the photographs made available to the public. Here's what we've found out so far:

• As well as photos of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, there are images of well known names including former US president Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
• The pictures are released without details on time, place, or context, and being depicted in the images does not imply any wrongdoing. Many of those identified in previous releases have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein
• President Trump is hardly mentioned in the files, something our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher says will be a relief for the White House
• The extensive redactions have been criticised by Democrats, who say they violate the transparency law, and by Epstein survivors - who want all the evidence to be in the open
• The White House rejects the criticism, describing the Trump administration as the "most transparent in history"
• The justice department says it has "erred on the side of redacting to protect victims" and continuing investigations

There are some further questions for Attorney General Pam Bondi from Democrat members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

As a reminder, the committee has thousands of images in its possession from the Epstein estate and Democrat members have released multiple batches of pictures in the build up to yesterday's release.

The group has raised questions on why a particular file - appearing to contain a framed photo of Donald Trump among others - is no longer part of the Epstein files.

Posting on X, the Oversight Democrats say: "This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release.

"Pam Bondi is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public."

The BBC has asked the DOJ why this file is no longer part of the online material.

Image source, US Department of Justice

Matthew Bartlett - a Republican strategist and former state department appointee during the first Donald Trump administration - has been talking to the BBC about what he thinks are the biggest questions following the latest release of documents.

"Much of this does not answer questions," Bartlett says. "It probably raises even more."

"There are two tracks here - one is transparency and justice for the victims. The other unfortunately is a partisan lens, and it seems increasingly we are going much more to a partisan posture," he adds.

"Pictures create intrigue, possibly create outrage but it is evidence that brings justice and right now we don't have any clear answers around Jeffrey Epstein who participated, enabled his crimes and as well as the sweetheart deal he got many years ago.

"So questions remain."

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie - one of the lawmakers who pushed for the legislation requiring the Trump administration to release the entirety of the Epstein files - has accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of "flaunting law" [sic].

On X, Massie shares an extract from the Epstein Files Transparency Act "directing [the] DOJ to provide" all details concerning department decisions to investigate, decline to investigate and/or pursue charges against Epstein or his associates

Alongside it, he posts a screengrab from a letter by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche saying the department has "withheld and redacted a limited amount of information otherwise covered by various privileges".

"Language of Epstein Files Transparency Act directing DOJ to provide internal communications regarding their decisions," Massie says and then pivots: "Versus DOJ letter to Congress asserting privilege to omit materials related to decisions, because they weren’t specified by law.

"They are flaunting law".

Image source, Department of Justice

Among the documents released on Friday are many that are redacted, including police statements, investigative reports and photos.

More than 550 pages of the files released on Friday were fully redacted, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

These include a document related to a grand jury investigation where 100 pages were entirely blacked out.

Officials, as outlined in the law, were allowed to redact materials to protect the identity of victims, or anything related to an active criminal investigation, but they were required by law to explain such redactions, which has not yet been done.

Image source, Reuters

The investigation into Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein reached a plea deal with prosecutors in 2008, after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter.

Photos of girls were found throughout the house, and he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. He escaped a heavy jail sentence as a result of the deal.

Eleven years later, he was charged with running a network of underage girls for sex. He died in prison while awaiting trial and his death was ruled a suicide.

Why have the files been released now?

Pressure has been building for months from across the political spectrum for more transparency.

After initially resisting calls for the files' release, Trump reversed course and urged Republicans to support disclosure of the records.

Congress then passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the justice department to release investigative material related to Epstein by 19 December.

Partial release of 'the Epstein files’

A large collection of documents, including court and telephone records and images, was uploaded on Friday night to the US Department of Justice website - and more are to come.

This array of data is the result of two criminal investigations culminating in the so-called "Epstein files".

Many pages are heavily redacted, with some blacked out in full. This has sparked criticism from victims and lawmakers alike - but the White House says the Trump administration is "the most transparent in history".

The US Department of Justice says the omissions are necessary to protect victims and for continuing investigations.

Marina Lacerda originally met Epstein when she was 14-years-old in New York and was abused by the late financer and sex offender for two or three years.

She's been speaking to Weekend's Krupa Padhy about the partial release of the heavily redacted documents.

Lacerda says that victims are working out their next step and will not give up their fight. You can listen to her full reaction below:

The latest files released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) contain a number of redactions - so what's been withheld, and why?

The DOJ says it was extremely cautious not to identify victims, so women's faces were blacked out on photos that were made public.

"Victim privacy interests counsel in favour of redacting the faces of women in photographs with Epstein even where not all the women are known to be victims because it is not practicable for the department to identify every person in a photo,” US attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton has written in a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Maxwell cases.

He adds that "this approach to photographs could be viewed by some as an over-redaction" - but continues that "the department believes it should, in the compressed time frame, err on the side of redacting to protect victims.”

Other redactions are believed to have been made as they might jeopardise an active criminal investigation, or contain images of abuse.

Bernadette Kehoe
BBC World Service

The hundreds of thousands of pages released by the US Justice Department included photos of the interiors of Jeffrey Epstein's homes, celebrities and records detailing the abuse suffered by victims of the late sex offender.

The department says omissions were required to protect victims and for continuing investigations.

But survivors have expressed frustration.

One, Liz Stein, has told the BBC that she wants all evidence of the crimes made public.

Another, Marina Lacerda, who was abused as a 14-year- old, said a lot of redactions were unnecessary and powerful men were being protected.

Democrats and some Republicans have accused the justice department of violating its legal obligations by failing to release all of the files.

In the files released, a man frequently appears alongside Jeffrey Epstein. Using facial recognition tools, our colleagues at BBC Verify have confirmed that he is Epstein's close associate Jean-Luc Brunel.

Brunel, a French modelling agent, was found dead in his prison cell in Paris at the age of 76 in February 2022. Prosecutors told the BBC that he was found hanged.

He had been held for over a year while being investigated on suspicion of the rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation.

Brunel, who co-founded French modelling agency Karin Models in 1977 and MC2 Model Management in the US with funding from Epstein, denied any wrongdoing.

His lawyers said Brunel had been "crushed" by the allegations and blamed a "media-judicial system".

Image source, Department of Justice

Image source, Department of Justice

Image source, US Department of Justice

In the latest batch of files released, we can see some redacted phone messages, some of which carry messages like "she has females for Mr JE" and "I have a female for him".

Another message written down for "Jeffrey" says "she has a female friends for you. Please call back as soon as possible".

Another shows a phone call with a message for "Jeffrey". The message reads "has girl for tonight".

There is also a record of a phone call received for JE, which is written as from Donald Trump. It has no date and no stated message.

Image source, US Department of Justice

US President Donald Trump 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, US Department of Justice

A number of photos released show a glimpse inside Epstein's homes, including the selection below from one of his properties:

Image source, US Department of Justice

Image source, US Department of Justice

Image source, US Department of Justice

Image source, Department of Justice

In the second batch of files, actor Kevin Spacey appears to be pictured twice alongside former president Bill Clinton on a visit to London.

One of the photos appears to show the two posing for a group photo with Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell at the centre. The location appears to be an underground bunker at the Churchill War Rooms.

The other photo - possibly taken on the same day, as members of the group are wearing the same clothes - appears to show Clinton laughing as he moves to grasp Spacey's shoulders.

The BBC has attempted to contact Spacey for comment.

As a reminder, being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. Last night, a spokesperson said Clinton "knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light".

Image source, Department of Justice

Image source, Department of Justice

Late broadcaster Walter Cronkite, known as "the most trusted man in America", also appears to be pictured in data set 3 of the files released yesterday.

The photograph appears to show him sitting with Epstein and another man on sofas in a living room environment, with a sandwich tray in front of them. The location is unclear.

Cronkite was a powerful figure in broadcasting, covering major stories like the Vietnam war, presidential elections and the moon landing.

He is said to have been instrumental in persuading Lyndon Johnson not to seek re-election for a second presidential term.

When Cronkite broadcast his belief that America could not win that war, President Johnson reportedly said: "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle-America."

As a reminder, there is no suggestion that these pictures imply any wrongdoing.

It is just approaching mid-morning on the eastern coast of the US and as we continue to pore over the thousands of files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - let's bring you up to date with the key developments in the last few hours:

• The US Justice Department (DOJ) has been criticised by senior Democrat politicians after the latest release of files relating to the convicted financier included a number of heavily redacted documents and photographs
• Among the images released are some which give a sense of Epstein's jet-setting lifestyle, meticulous record keeping and photos with well-known celebrities including Michael Jackson
• Also among the latest newly-published files are images of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former US president Bill Clinton, both of whom deny any wrongdoing
• Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says there has been "no effort" to redact President Donald Trump's name from the release of the Epstein files
• The White House says the Trump administration was the "most transparent in history" as it replied to a court document released by the DOJ on Friday, alleging that Epstein introduced a 14-year-old girl to Donald Trump in the 1990s - you can read more here
• Some of Epstein's victims say they feel let down by the DOJ's handling of the material and have called for the full release of all files; one victim, Marina Lacerda, who was abused as a 14-year- old, said a lot of redactions were unnecessary and powerful men were being protected

We have a team that is currently combing through the latest files released by the DOJ and we’ll bring you any relevant material as it comes to light.

Image source, US Department of Justice

Image source, US Department of Justice

As part of the partial release of documents in the Epstein files, several books have been either pictured, mentioned or scanned.

It is not yet clear if these books were owned by Epstein, where they have been photographed, or why they have been included in the release.

Among them is a guidebook called Massage For Dummies - which as been scanned and its contents included in the data set. It's also mentioned as one of the "gifts" Epstein gave to a "girl" whose name is redacted.

Elsewhere, three copies of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by Michael Wolff,can be seen in a photo from the files.

A previous release of documents by US lawmakers appeared to indicate a correspondence between Wolff and the late convicted sex offender.

Responding to the release at the time, Wolff said: "Some of those emails are between Epstein and me, with Epstein discussing his relationship with Donald Trump. I have been trying to talk about this story for a very long time now."

Image source, US Department of Justice

Noor Nanji
Royal correspondent

Image source, US Department of Justice

As we've reported, a photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lying on the laps of women is among the thousands of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice.

In the picture, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell hovers in the background smiling at the former prince. The photo appears to have been taken in the saloon room at Sandringham, the royal estate in Norfolk.

The emergence of the photo will add to scrutiny on Mountbatten-Windsor, after he was stripped of his remaining titles and honours over his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.

Two of the photos also show Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, in the company of women whose faces are covered by black squares.

BBC News has approached her representatives for comment.

Simply appearing in the photos or documents is not evidence of wrongdoing.

• Read more in my story

Image source, US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Image source, Getty Images

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says there has been "no effort" to redact President Donald Trump's name from the release of the Epstein files.

On Friday Blanche was asked, in an interview on ABC News, external, whether all documents mentioning Trump in the so-called Epstein files will be released in the coming weeks.

"Assuming it's consistent with the law, yes," Blanche said. "So there's no effort to hold anything back because there's the name Donald J Trump or anybody else's name, Bill Clinton's name, Reid Hoffman's name.

"There's no effort to hold back or not hold back because of that and - and so - but again, we're not, we're not redacting the names of famous men and women that are associated with Epstein."