Questions persist about how Jeffrey Epstein, who once moved among the world's elite, was able to avoid federal prosecution for so long. A timeline suggests some answers.

While the president's ties to Jeffrey Epstein have been public knowledge for years, Hill Republicans have been forced to confront those connections like never before.

The investigation into Epstein's crimes began in Palm Beach, Florida, where he faced initial charges and entered a controversial plea deal. Trump, a former friend of Epstein, faces scrutiny due to past associations and a recent lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a lewd letter.

A Florida federal judge on Wednesday declined to release additional grand jury documents from the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first roadblock in the Justice Department’s efforts to quell the public backlash over the handling of the case.

During Mr. Trump's first term, his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, resigned following criticism of his handling of Epstein's 2008 plea deal when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida. Epstein served 13 months in a jail work-release program after he was originally accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls and young women.

Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is set to meet again with the Department of Justice on July 25, a senior official announced.

"I think true accountability, especially for people that have been victimized by the Epstein episode, requires full transparency," Grassley said.

The American people — and above all, the victims of Mr. Epstein’s crimes — deserve answers to outstanding questions about how he operated, with whose help and in whose service. With the exception of redactions required to protect the innocent and materials that must be withheld while under court seal, the complete F.B.I. files should be released.