India, Dec. 20 -- The US Justice Department on Friday began releasing a massive trove of records related to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, marking a long-awaited moment in a case that has roiled American politics and fuelled public distrust for years.

The release comes on the deadline set by Congress under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law on November 19 after months of resistance and mounting pressure from lawmakers, including members of his own Republican Party. The law gave the department 30 days to publish most unclassified records and communications tied to Epstein, including material related to the investigation into his 2019 death in a New York jail while he awa...