Washington DC - The Justice Department on Friday began releasing the long-awaited records from the investigation into the politically explosive case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The files are expected to shed light on the disgraced financier's connections with high-profile business executives, celebrities, academics, and politicians, including President Donald Trump.

However, it is unclear how much Trump's department – which has total control over the release – will allow to see the light of day or even how it is selecting documents.

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The huge trove of documents included seven pages listing the names of 254 masseuses that are entirely blacked out, alongside the explanation "redacted to protect potential victim information."

The release also included numerous photographs not previously made public – including one depicting a younger-looking former president Bill Clinton reclining in a hot tub, with part of the image obscured by a black rectangle.

Another image depicts Clinton swimming with a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

Trump's name appears in a contact book found in the files, although it is not clear whom the book belonged to.

Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, fought for months to prevent the release of the records related to the investigation of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The Republican president eventually caved to pressure from Congress, including from his own party, and signed a law last month compelling publication of the materials.

Friday was the deadline set by Congress for the release of the records.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, in an interview with Fox and Friends, said several hundred thousand documents would be released on Friday and several hundred thousand more in the coming weeks.

Prosecutors have the latitude to withhold material related to active investigations, and Blanche said the files will also be painstakingly redacted to protect the identities of Epstein's hundreds of victims.

He said "no new charges" were imminent in a scandal that continues to convulse America.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the partial release.

"This is nothing more than a cover up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past," Schumer said in a statement.