Elaina Batista Asst. Social Media Editor
Over the last couple of weeks, the Justice Department released over 3 million files related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., one of the co-authors of the law that led to the files’ production, said that the Justice Department has released “the best half of the documents.”
The release of the files has caused trauma for a number of Epstein’s victims, who were told their identities would be withheld; however, their names were, in fact, included. The improperly handled redactions, which include blacked-out remarks victims gave to the FBI, have angered Epstein survivors.
According to the survivors’ attorneys, the DOJ did a poor job of removing their personal information from the high volume of investigative documents made public on Jan. 30.
Although they were involved in making the files public, there are currently no communications from Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche or FBI Director Kash Patel in the vast quantity of records. A watchdog group is asking the Justice Department to explain why it hasn’t included communication from top Trump administration officials. According to a DOJ spokesperson, “this is a tired narrative,” and those involved have already spoken extensively on the matter.
Multiple examinations of the records indicate that men’s faces are frequently hidden while women’s faces are shown, and the files appear disorganized with no clear chronological or thematic structure. On Jan. 29, the Justice Department wrote to federal judges in the Southern District of New York U.S. District Court, stating that its staff was “working around the clock to run additional searches for documents that may require additional redaction.”
Annie Farmer, who has been outspoken about Epstein and the abuse she experienced, stated, “If you see some of these documents where there will be a list of 50 names and one is redacted, you know, there’s just no explanation for how it could have been done so poorly.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, President Trump said he thought it was “time for the country to get on to something else, really. Now that nothing came out about me.” Following this, Blanche stated that there will most likely be no criminal charges following the release of the files since they do not indicate any sort of wrongdoing.
Among other prominent figures named in the files is former President Bill Clinton, who is named several times. Both former President Clinton and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee in its investigation into Epstein.
The terms for the depositions that the former president and secretary of state are expected to give at the end of the month under threat of being found in contempt of Congress were outlined in emails released by House Oversight Chair James Comer on Thursday between his committee and the legal team for Bill and Hillary Clinton.Hillary Clinton stated on social media that they desire to have an open hearing rather than behind closed doors and stated, “Let’s stop the games,” Hillary Clinton wrote on social media on the morning of Jan. 29. “You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on.”