The Justice Department has removed almost 50,000 of the Epstein Files from the agency website that houses them.
As well, CBS News revealed in an analysis of the site and files, only 2.7 million files are available to the public, “a number below the Department’s initial claim of 3 million, and a total that continues to fluctuate.”
The Justice Department (DOJ) calls the analysis “flawed,” and says nothing has been deleted.
Who is telling the truth is unclear. The sheer number of files raises the question of whether anyone knows how many there are, how many are duplicates, and how many must be redacted for legal reasons.
Among the redacted files, NPR reported last month, are those that accuse President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting a minor girl.
Six Million Pages Reviewed; Three Million Released
The network’s analysis noted that Congress’ bill that mandated the release forced DOJ to release some three million pages beyond those released last year.
“And now, in part in response to widespread criticism and concern from survivors and their attorneys that the files contain nearly 100 survivors’ personal information and photos, the DOJ has scrambled to remove documents,” CBS reported:
A CBS News analysis found that as of late February, the Justice Department has taken down more than 47,000 files comprising about 65,500 pages. Links to those files now return a “page not found” error on the department’s website.
Some of those removed documents contained explicit images or survivor information — including one document with unredacted photos of 21 survivors along with most of their birthdates. But the reasons for other files’ removal is unclear, such as a call log with all names redacted and images of Epstein’s jail bunk where investigators say he hanged himself. The Justice Department appears to be putting some removed files back up.
Thus, some of the files were correctly removed to protect victims.
“Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department reviewed 6 million total pages, meaning what it initially released constitutes less than half of the total,” CBS reported. While the department has redacted or withheld documents to protect the victims, critics allege that some of the redactions include the names of the rich and powerful with whom Epstein was close.
Were Files Deleted?
DOJ spokesman Natalie Baldassarre told the network that its “analysis appears to be fundamentally flawed.” DOJ, she said, has not deleted files. Still, “more than 47,000 files remain offline for further review, a file-count similar to what CBS News found had been removed,” the network continued. “She added that the files will be ready for re-production by the end of the week.”
“Our team is working around the clock to address victim concerns, redact personally identifiable information and any images of a sexual nature,” Baldassarre wrote. “All responsive documents will be repopulated online once proper redactions are made.”
Blanche, CBS reported, averred that the department kept back duplicates, along with those that “would jeopardize active investigations, child sexual abuse material, and files that would reveal survivors’ personal information.”
DOJ added that reasons for the redaction will appear in the Federal Register.
“But questions remain on what those files contain,” CBS continued:
The Justice Department appears to have withheld records from an interview with a woman who accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor, [National Public Radio] first reported. Serial numbers stamped on the bottom of each document indicate several from this interview are missing. The DOJ is now reviewing whether these files were wrongly withheld.
A White House spokesperson told NPR in response that the president “has done more for Epstein’s victims than anyone before him” and has been “totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein.”
Hate-Trump Democrats (like New York’s Senator Chuck Schumer) are salivating at the prospect that the files will reveal sexual misbehavior by the president.
“Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have already been investigating this allegation against the president and will now open a parallel investigation into the DOJ’s decision not to release these particular documents,” NPR reported.
Trump backers claim that if that material existed, Joe Biden’s DOJ would have released it to stop Trump’s 2024 campaign. Thus, they aver, the files won’t show any such thing. Others counter that the Biden DOJ didn’t release the files because they implicate top Democrats as well. In other words, no one would be safe.
The bill that required the release of the documents obviated that argument.
What Was Redacted
CBS found that DOJ removed “at least 65,527 pages.” Missing are “photos from the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was held and died in 2019, including photos of his cell and prescription medications found there,” the network continued:
Others are photos of hard drives and computers, and other evidence investigators gathered on the cases, like file folders whose contents are unclear or a bag whose label said it contained the ligature discovered around Epstein’s neck. Some are photos of women or girls that were already redacted. One removed photo, which has since been restored, showed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with Epstein on Epstein’s private island. Lutnick has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and in a congressional hearing said he had “nothing to hide.”
Senators and congressmen can now get a clear picture of what’s in the files by requesting to view unredacted material in camera. Far-left Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California uncovered “the names of six men in contact with Epstein whose names had been redacted, but did not accuse them of criminal wrongdoing,” CBS observed.
The network speculated that withheld documents contain data from Epstein’s computers and other devices. “Emails from FBI engineers described terabytes of data that the FBI obtained from phones, tablets, cameras, servers and laptops,” CBS reported:
Some of the files list some of those devices seized from Epstein. While a vast tranche of emails, photos and videos [is] included in the most recent release, their combined file size is far smaller than what investigators described, CBS News’s analysis found. Many emails contain attachments that were not released.
How many files the DOJ has is unclear. Though reports say six million, that exact figure is unlikely and, again, it includes duplicates.
Files can be viewed at justice.gov/epstein.
