US group opens Epstein files exhibition in New York

A US transparency advocacy group has launched a temporary exhibition in New York featuring what it describes as all publicly released documents connected to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

 

The installation, created by the Washington-based nonprofit Institute of Primary Facts, is titled “The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room.”

 

According to the organisers, the exhibit contains an estimated 3.5 million pages of documents released by the US Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bound into 3,437 volumes and arranged on shelves.

 

“The truth is hard to deny when it’s printed and bound for you to see,” the group said on its website.

 

The pop-up reading room, located in Tribeca, allows visitors to register online for access. However, full public consultation of the files is restricted due to concerns over unredacted victim information included in some documents.

 

As a result, access is limited to select groups such as journalists and legal professionals.

 

The exhibition also features material highlighting the long-standing relationship between former US President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors.

 

The pair were known to have been associates for years before a reported fallout in 2004 over a property-related dispute. Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

 

Organiser David Garrett said the project was designed to promote public awareness and accountability.

 

“We’re a pro-democracy organisation, with the goal of educating the public using these kinds of pop-up museums and other in-real-life experiences to help people understand the corruption in the United States,” he said.

 

He added that the aim was to encourage public pressure for transparency in how the documents have been handled.

 

The exhibition is scheduled to remain open to the public until May 21.