WASHINGTON, December 20 (ANI): The United States Department of Justice has clarified that redactions in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein-related documents are being made solely to protect victims and do not involve withholding the names of politicians.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the only redactions applied are those required by law. “Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim,” he said.
In a statement posted on X, the Justice Department reiterated that it is not redacting the names of any politicians, stressing that all redactions are legally mandated and focused exclusively on safeguarding victims of sexual abuse.
The release follows approval by federal judges to unseal grand jury materials in cases involving Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, allowing the Justice Department to publish the long-anticipated records, CNN reported.
However, the documents include 119 pages labeled as grand jury materials that remain fully redacted. These pages are interspersed among largely redacted documents, along with one explicit image of a woman. The Justice Department has not categorized much of the released material, making it unclear which portions were part of the grand jury materials authorized for release.
On Friday evening, the Justice Department released an additional batch of evidence photographs on its website at around 7 p.m. ET, approximately four hours after the initial release, according to CNN.
The files, comprising about 120 photographs, primarily show FBI evidence boxes, envelopes, hard drives, old CDs, and computers. One image appears to show a stuffed dog in a box, consistent with previous reports that Epstein kept a taxidermied poodle. The origin of the photographs remains unclear, though the Justice Department has said some materials were obtained through search warrants executed at Epstein’s residences in Florida, New York, and his private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Among the newly circulated images is one showing former President Bill Clinton in a hot tub, CNN reported. A Justice Department spokesperson, Gates McGavick, said the blacked-out portion of the image was applied to protect a victim of Epstein’s sexual abuse.
McGavick posted the image on X, writing that the black box was added to safeguard a victim. Clinton has not been charged with any crimes and has never been accused by law enforcement of wrongdoing related to Epstein.
A spokesperson for Clinton, Angel Urena, said on Friday that the former president had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and ended the relationship before those crimes came to light. “There are two types of people here,” Urena said. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first.”
In a letter to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Blanche said the Justice Department’s extensive review of Epstein-related materials did not uncover evidence that would justify an investigation into uncharged third parties, including Clinton.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the Justice Department to redact information that could potentially identify victims of sexual abuse. However, it remains unclear whether every redaction in the released photographs was made to protect a confirmed victim.
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