Additional Coverage:
- DOJ says it’s taken down thousands of Epstein files documents that identified victims (abcnews.go.com)
Justice Department Scrambles to Redact Victim Information in Released Epstein Files
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has removed “several thousand documents and media” from its website related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after it was discovered that some files inadvertently exposed victim-identifying information. This action follows an urgent request from attorneys representing Epstein’s victims, who, on Sunday, called for the immediate shutdown of the DOJ site due to “redaction failures” that they claimed revealed the names and personal details of “nearly 100 individual survivors.”
In a letter filed with two federal judges on Monday, Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, acknowledged that “technical or human error” may have led to the inclusion of sensitive victim data. The DOJ’s update comes as it navigates the delicate balance between transparency, mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the crucial obligation to protect the identities of survivors.
While the letter did not indicate an intent to take the entire site offline, it emphasized that the Justice Department has “further expedited its processes” for addressing victims’ concerns and for reviewing documents for additional redactions. Clayton stated that all documents requested for removal by victims or their counsel have been taken down for further review, and the department is actively processing new requests and conducting its own searches to identify any other documents requiring redaction.
The DOJ is not solely relying on victims to identify problematic documents. Clayton confirmed that “teams of personnel” are monitoring requests and that a dedicated team worked through the weekend, conducting “supplemental searches to identify missed redactions.” He noted that “the first 24 hours of engagement on these issues, as well as the Department’s own internal review of its processes, following the release of documents on Friday led to significant enhancements to and streamlining of the Department’s processes for addressing victim concerns.”
This latest development comes after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Friday that three million pages from the DOJ’s Epstein files were being released to the public. Blanche indicated that while the DOJ holds a total of six million pages of Epstein documents, approximately three million pages were being withheld to protect victims’ rights and due to the presence of child sexual abuse material.