Epstein files, Trump connections, 3.5 million pages: New York pop-up puts it all on display

A temporary exhibition in New York City is showcasing nearly 3.5 million pages of newly released Justice Department documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his connections to President Donald Trump.The pop-up library, titled “The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room,” contains the files printed and bound into 3,437 volumes arranged on shelves. The documents were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The exhibition, located in Tribeca, was created by the Washington-based nonprofit Institute of Primary Facts and is open to visitors who register online until May 21.“The truth is hard to deny when it's printed and bound for you to see,” the organisation said on its website.The display also focuses on the long-time relationship between President Donald Trump and Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors.Trump and Epstein were friends for decades before reportedly falling out in 2004 over a property deal. Trump later publicly distanced himself from Epstein and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing after appearing multiple times in the so-called “Epstein Files.”“We're a pro-democracy organisation, 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,” David Garrett, one of the creators behind the project, told AFP.Garrett said he believed “there needs to be real public outcry” over the Trump administration’s handling of the document release, with critics accusing justice officials of covering up Trump’s ties to Epstein.“And what we attempted to do here was to create, or help to create public outcry to have real accountability,” he added.The general public is not permitted to consult the files because the Department of Justice failed to fully redact the names of some victims included in the documents. Exceptions are being made for certain professionals, including journalists and lawyers.