Additional Coverage:
- Epstein survivors still identifiable in document dump despite DOJ promises, attorney says (nbcnews.com)
DOJ’s Redaction Blunder Leaves Epstein Survivors Exposed, Agreement Crumbles
Washington D.C. – An agreement between the Justice Department and multiple survivors of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reportedly collapsed after the government’s failure to properly redact personal information in recently released documents left victims identifiable to the public. The identities of these individuals remained unredacted and publicly accessible as of Wednesday, according to attorney Brittany Henderson, who represents several survivors.
Henderson expressed profound disappointment, stating that her clients had “trusted” the Justice Department to rectify its redaction failures by noon on Wednesday. “For five days, the Department of Justice has left the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein publicly exposed – named and personally identified on the government’s own website – despite acknowledging that these disclosures were wrongful and agreeing to correct them immediately,” she said.
The attorney highlighted the irreparable harm caused by the oversight, noting that the documents have since been “downloaded, copied, and preserved, rendering the harm permanent and impossible to correct.” She emphasized that “every additional hour that these records remain online compounds the danger to women who never chose publicity and who were entitled to protection under the law.”
Henderson’s primary focus remains “the complete removal of every document that identifies a survivor.” She urged the press and the public to “exercise restraint and refrain from republishing the names of vulnerable women, because the fact that a disclosure occurred does not make it ethical or just.” The Justice Department has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The breakdown of this agreement follows a canceled hearing scheduled for Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Richard M.
Berman. Judge Berman had expressed satisfaction that the parties seemed to have resolved the privacy issues, referencing a letter from Henderson indicating “extensive and constructive discussions” with the government regarding the “redaction failures.”
The release of these sensitive documents stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in November. This act mandated the release of all Justice Department files related to the Epstein case within 30 days and required the Trump administration to explain any redactions to Congress. Over 3.5 million pages, along with thousands of photos and videos, were released last Friday, after the government missed its initial December deadline.
Despite prior assurances from the Justice Department to protect survivors’ privacy, inadequate redactions exposed the names and personal information of multiple individuals. This failure has reportedly outed at least one woman who had not previously come forward with abuse allegations.
Survivor Danielle Bensky recounted finding what she believed were confidential conversations with FBI investigators about Epstein within the recently released documents. Bensky, who alleges Epstein abused her as a teenage ballerina two decades ago, believes this was no accident.
“I thought it was carelessness, and then I went to incompetence,” Bensky told NBC News. “And now it feels, it feels a bit deliberate.
It feels like a bit of an attack on survivors.”