Kenneth Glad
An American nonprofit has opened a temporary New York archive displaying millions of Justice Department records related to Jeffrey Epstein, with public access restricted because of redaction concerns.
The archive focuses on Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.
DR writes that the installation contains about 3.5 million pages released by the US Department of Justice.
Le Monde reports that the documents have been printed, numbered and placed in 3,437 bound volumes.
The project is titled “The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room,” and it is located in Tribeca.
Visitors must register online before receiving the address for security reasons, informs DR.
Access is restricted
The Institute for Primary Facts organized the display. The group says it wants to keep attention on Epstein’s crimes and on the political debate over how the records have been released and discussed.
On its website, the organization describes the purpose of the archive with the line: “The truth is hard to deny when it’s printed and bound for you to see.”
Le Monde says that the general public cannot freely inspect the full collection because some victims’ names were not properly redacted in the released files. Certain professionals, including journalists and lawyers, may be allowed access.
The records remain sensitive because they involve Epstein’s network, the protection of victims’ identities and the continuing political fallout from the case.
Trump-related material featured
The display also includes material about Donald Trump and Epstein, including a timeline of their association and a reproduction of an alleged birthday message to Epstein.
Trump’s team has denied that he wrote the message or drew the image linked to it. Trump has repeatedly denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes or any wrongdoing connected to him.
Epstein died in federal custody in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors.
David Garrett, one of the project’s creators, described the installation as part of a broader civic effort:
“We’re a pro-democracy organization, with the goal of educating the public using these kinds of sort of pop-up museums and other in-real-life experiences to help people understand the corruption in the United States, the dangers to democracy. And what we attempted to do here was to create, or help to create, public outcry to have real accountability.”
The exhibit is open May 8–20 in Tribeca, New York City.
Sources: DR, Le Monde, The Institute For Primary Facts
