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DOJ Releases Millions of Pages of Epstein Files
Teh Department of Justice (DOJ) is releasing over 3 million pages of documents related to investigations involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This release comes more then a month after the deadline imposed by congress, stemming from the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Details of the Released Files
According to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the released files include more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.He clarified that a significant portion of these are commercial pornography or images not taken by Epstein, although some material was taken by Epstein or those associated with him.
The DOJ stated that it did not redact images depicting men unless redacting the men would require also redacting images of women. Members of Congress have the option to request unredacted versions of specific portions of the files.
Ongoing Review and Withheld Information
The DOJ initially identified over 6 million pages of materials as potentially relevant to the Epstein investigation.Certain categories of documents remain withheld, including information concerning victims’ personal and medical details, depictions of child pornography, and information that could compromise ongoing federal investigations. Blanche declined to comment on the status of investigations into Epstein’s associates.
Blanche addressed allegations that the DOJ was selectively withholding files that could be damaging to certain individuals, stating, “There’s this mantra out there that the Department of Justice is supposed to protect Donald J. Trump… That’s not true. That was never the case.” He emphasized that legal prohibitions are the sole reason for withholding documents.