Fact Check: Did other countries release unredacted Epstein files depicting Trump?

WASHINGTON, DC: Following the release of a massive tranche of documents related to convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein, a claim is circulating on social media platforms that countries outside the US released unredacted images from the released files, including photos showing President Donald Trump with minor girls. Let us fact-check the claim.

Claim: France released unredacted Epstein files

One of the earliest posts that made the claim appeared on Threads on February 5. 

It claimed that other countries released unredacted files alongside two images allegedly showing Trump with two underage girls in the post, which read, "WARNING: this is way worse than you can imagine. Other countries are releasing the Epstein files unredacted. It's bad, folks."

The claim that has also spread on other social media platforms like X has garnered millions of views, and users in the comments appeared to believe the claim to be true. 

One X post with four million views specifically claimed that France released unredacted files, stating, “Trump can control the US DOJ, but other countries like France have the unredacted version."

Fact Check: False, no country released any files linked to Jeffrey Epstein 

However, there is no evidence supporting the claim that other countries, such as France, have released or have access to unredacted files linked to the disgraced financier.

Snopes reached out to the Department of Justice seeking comment on whether the department had released any files to other countries, and a department official responded, "The department has not shared the files with any nation, and those photos of the President are fake." 

If countries besides the US, like France, were releasing unredacted Epstein files, reliable news outlets would probably have reported it.

Also, the Threads account that posted the image belonged to a fitness coach and is not credible.

There is no evidence that the two images circulating with the claim, which appear to show Trump with young girls, were part of any Epstein file releases. Both images look like they were created using artificial intelligence.

They contained classic hallmarks of AI generation, such as unnatural light patterns, abnormally smooth skin, and irregular facial features.

Department of Justice released millions of Epstein files

The claim surfaced following the release of millions of documents related to Epstein by the Department of Justice on January 30.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the release also included more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

The release came after weeks of criticism that the department was not following a federal law passed in November, which required all Epstein-related files to be made public by December 19.

Among the newly released materials is an FBI compilation of allegations involving President Donald Trump, many of which appear to be based on unverified tips rather than substantiated evidence.