Justice Department’s heavy-handed redactions leave no one happy in the 'Epstein files' saga

 

Issues & Insights

Just can’t win:Justice Department’s heavy-handed redactions leave no one happy in the 'Epstein files' saga   "Thousands of (Jeffrey Epstein) files still aren’t public. The redactions are extensive, at times going beyond what was called for in the law passed by Congress last month.

"The Justice Department said it made the decision on its own to withhold information in the files under executive branch and legal privileges, to be extremely cautious not to expose victims, and to re-release files that had been redacted previously by the federal government under broader guidelines before the law was passed.

"In the past four days, the approach has put the Trump administration, and especially its leadership at the Justice Department, on the defensive. Inside the Justice Department headquarters, lawyers are still scrambling to correct mistakes made in redacting files and working through thousands more documents that still aren’t available, according to sources familiar with the work and statements DOJ leadership have made since Friday.

"And despite their efforts to defend the work of hundreds of lawyers working through the Epstein records, the Justice Department’s leadership hasn’t been able to silence critics from all corners who now say they aren’t being transparent enough.
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"Criticism of the Justice Department for failing to be transparent with its Epstein records has dogged the department’s leadership throughout Trump’s second term. Bondi was previously panned for touting transparency while re-releasing records that were already in the public sphere.
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"The Epstein files released Friday contain hundreds of photos that hadn’t previously been seen, as well some grand jury and interview transcripts that were previously secret and a few other notable filings and internal files.

"But by and large, the massive and incomplete trove posted on the Justice Department’s website comprised of records that people could have already found — if they knew where to look.

"In many ways, a primary audience for the Epstein files’ release has been an increasingly wide swath of the public, representing both conservatives and liberals across the country, especially those who are active online.

"Attempts by Trump officials to defend the release on social media were met with sharp rebuttals. Users on X added “community notes,” flagging inaccuracies, to at least 13 posts from official Justice Department accounts or Bondi and Blanche’s accounts.

"The community notes feature on X allows users to add fact-checks or context underneath posts that are misleading. If a critical mass of other users gives the note a positive rating, it will be permanently attached to the original post.

"Bondi and Blanche have posted a combined five times on X since the Epstein files dropped on Friday, and every post drew a community note.

"In one post, Bondi said, “President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in American history.” In response to this and other claims, a community note stated that the Epstein drop was “full of redactions and deleted pages” and that images of Trump “were removed … to protect him.' ” . . .