4 months ago
The Department of Justice has released little than 1% of nan alleged Epstein files, a tribunal filing has revealed, arsenic Democrats measurement up disapproval of nan Trump administration’s “lawlessness” for keeping records nether seal.
The section conceded that only 12,285 documents, totalling 125,575 pages, relating to nan disgraced financier and activity trafficker Jeffrey Epstein have been published to date, contempt a national rule requiring nan immense mostly to beryllium released by 19 December.
Pam Bondi, nan lawyer general, wrote a five-page update to Paul Engelmayer, nan national New York judge overseeing nan case, connected Monday, asserting that efforts to protect nan identities of Epstein’s victims were a priority, and had slowed nan process.
“There are much than 2 cardinal documents perchance responsive to nan Act that are successful various phases of review,” she wrote successful nan missive co-signed by Todd Blanche, her deputy, and Jay Clayton, US lawyer for nan confederate territory of New York.
“This activity has required and will proceed to require important section resources.” She said astir 400 justness section lawyers were supporting its “efforts to comply”, on pinch 100 FBI archive analysts trained successful handling delicate material.
Democrats, however, stay wished to property nan justness section complete nan Epstein documents contempt different stories specified arsenic nan seizure by US forces of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro dominating nan news cycle.
“What are they trying to hide?” Chuck Schumer, nan Senate number leader, said successful a post to X connected Monday accusing nan justness section of failing to taxable a required unredacted database to Congress “of each authorities officials and politically exposed persons” named aliases referenced successful nan files.
“It’s been 17 DAYS since nan Trump DOJ first collapsed nan rule and grounded to merchandise each nan Epstein files. It’s been 14 DAYS since Trump’s DOJ released thing astatine each – pinch nan DOJ doing everything successful its powerfulness to hold and obfuscate.”
The releases truthful far, he said, were heavy redacted, and contained “none of nan cardinal documents, and nary caller accusation connected nan 10 alleged Epstein co-conspirators”.
He said: “The Trump DOJ’s lawlessness must stop. I will do everything successful my powerfulness to guarantee each nan files travel out.”
Blanche insisted past week that nan section was committed to “transparency and protecting victims”, and that hundreds of group had sacrificed clip complete nan holidays to activity connected nan case.
“It genuinely is an all-hands-on-deck attack and we’re asking arsenic galore lawyers arsenic imaginable to perpetrate their clip to reappraisal nan documents that remain,” he said.
“Required redactions to protect victims return clip but they will not extremity these materials from being released.”
The section said earlier Christmas that national prosecutors successful Manhattan and nan FBI had uncovered complete a million much documents not included successful its first review, and that it mightiness request “a fewer much weeks” to comply pinch nan law.
Ro Khanna, a Democratic California congressman, and Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said past period they were considering filing an inherent contempt lawsuit against Bondi successful an effort to velocity up nan release.
Documents published successful nan first tranches of releases since 19 December person offered some penetration into Epstein’s operation, facilitated by his friend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is presently serving a 20-year condemnation for kid activity trafficking, but nary awesome caller revelations.
Marina Lacerda, a unfortunate of Epstein who met him erstwhile she was 14, spoke to nan Guardian past period aft nan first batch of papers was released. She said she wanted nan British erstwhile royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a adjacent friend of Epstein and Maxwell, to beryllium “brought to justice” successful nan US.
One of nan papers elaborate alleged efforts by Mountbatten-Windsor, erstwhile known arsenic Prince Andrew, to get Maxwell to hole him up pinch “inappropriate friends” while she sought “friendly and discreet and fun” girls for him. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied immoderate forbidden behavior.
