Justice Department says "no political redactions" as second wave of Epstein Files unveils thousands of documents

Washington, DC [US] December 20 : The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has clarified that the recently released Jeffrey Epstein-related documents are being redacted solely to protect victims, and no politicians' names are being withheld.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, "The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law full stop. Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim."

https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2002205851285594614

"The Justice Department is not redacting the names of any politicians. As Todd Blanche made clear: "The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law full stop. Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim," the US Department of Justice wrote on X.

The release follows federal judges' approval to unseal grand jury materials in cases against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, allowing the DOJ to publish the highly anticipated records, CNN reported.

However, the documents still include 119 pages labelled as grand jury materials that remain fully redacted.

These pages are interspersed with mainly other redacted documents, along with one explicit image of a woman.

The Justice Department has not categorised much of the released material, making it unclear which portions were part of the grand jury materials authorised for release.

On Friday evening, the DOJ released an additional batch of evidence photos on its website at approximately 7 pm ET, approximately four hours after the initial release, according to CNN.

The files, numbering about 120 photos, primarily depict FBI evidence boxes, envelopes, hard drives, old CDs, and computers.

One image shows what appears to be a stuffed dog in a box, consistent with previous reports that Epstein kept a taxidermied poodle. The origin of the photos is unclear, though the DOJ has indicated that some materials came from 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, as per CNN.

A Justice Department spokesperson, Gates McGavick, clarified that the blacked-out area in the photo was applied to protect a victim of Epstein's sexual abuse.

McGavick posted the image on X, noting, "Beloved Democrat President. The black box is added to protect 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 Friday that the former president had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities and had ended the relationship before those crimes came to light.

"There are two types of people here," Urena stated. "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 sent to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Blanche emphasised that the DOJ's extensive review of Epstein-related materials "did not ... uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties," which includes Clinton.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Justice Department to redact things that could potentially identify victims who were sexually abused. However, it's not clear that every redaction in every photo was made to protect a confirmed victim.

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