US lawmakers say files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were improperly redacted ahead of their release by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Members of Congress on Monday were allowed to begin a review of the unredacted versions of the approximately three million pages of files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) since December.
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna stated, The core issue is that they're not complying with... my law, because these were scrubbed back in March by Donald Trump's FBI.
The redactions drew heavy scrutiny after Epstein's victims' lawyers indicated that the latest tranche included email addresses and nude photos, potentially identifying victims. Survivors described the disclosure as outrageous, asserting they should not be re-traumatized.
The DOJ stated they are removing flagged files, claiming mistakes were due to technical or human error. Following the complaints, at least one document has been unredacted.
Representatives Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, and Lauren Boebert, a Republican, noted that some names in the files were redacted despite indications they might be involved in incriminating activities.
Khanna raised further concerns, stating that the DOJ's attempts to address the issues remain non-compliant with the EFTA law, creating an atmosphere of mistrust. Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche affirmed the DOJ's commitment to transparency with a promise to reveal non-victim names.
Amidst these developments, lawmakers continue to express frustration over the limited conditions under which they are able to access and scrutinize the information, prompting accusations of a cover-up and calls for deeper investigation into the Epstein files.
