Epstein files to D.C. reading room; opening to public Tuesday by appointment
The 3.5 million pages of Epstein records are in 3,437 bound volumes.
The Donald J. Trump and Jeffery Epstein Memorial Reading Room is opening Tuesday in Washington, D.C., making available to the public 3.5 million pages of records related to the late financier and convicted sex-offender.
The pages will be in 3,437 bound volumes in an exhibit scheduled to stay open through Friday.
The exhibit is being staged by the Institute for Primary Facts, which says it is a tribute to Epstein victims and survivors.
The pages were previously housed in New York. Viewers will not be able to see the names of victims. About 10,000 New Yorkers visited the room in Tribeca during its 16-day stint in May, while about 85 million people viewed it online.
The centerpiece of the exhibits is Epstein's connection to Trump. The fellow New Yorkers socialized at parties in Palm Beach, Florida. But Trump sought to distance himself from Epstein after he was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges.
"I was not a fan of his," Trump told reporters, also saying he hadn’t spoken to Epstein in 15 years. Epstein was charged in Florida in 2006 by a local grand jury with soliciting a prostitute. He and federal prosecutors reached a non-prosecution plea agreement on the matter in 2007.
The reading room in D.C. will be free and open to the public by appointment in the city's Chinatown neighborhood. The books are on display, but they may not be opened during public hours.
David Garrett, an organizer with the Institute for Primary Facts, said he wants people to understand the extent of the crimes through the exhibit.
Epstein, who had acquaintances with some of the world's most powerful men, died by suicide in a New York City detention center in 2019, awaiting trial on charges related to sex offenses.
“We just wanted to do something where people could really understand the full weight and gravity of this horrific case,” Garrett told WTOP News.
The Justice Department released the roughly 3.5 million pages online in January. Their release did not result in any additional criminal charges.
Survivors, advocates, law enforcement and accredited press can book private morning sessions where volumes may be opened and read with a librarian's help from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, according to the 'Trumpsonian' website.
There are additional talks, signings and Q&A's during the D.C. run open to different groups. Organizers say they plan to continue moving the 'reading room' to other cities following the D.C. location at 737 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001.