Additional Coverage:
Justice Department Scrambles to Redact Thousands of Epstein Files Ahead of Friday Deadline
WASHINGTON D.C. – A frantic push is underway within the Justice Department as attorneys race against the clock to redact thousands of pages of documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. With a congressional deadline looming this Friday, sources familiar with the process indicate significant frustration and concerns about the sheer volume of work and the clarity of guidance.
Attorneys, many from the DOJ’s National Security Division, have been tasked with processing over a thousand pages each since Thanksgiving week. This monumental undertaking involves navigating complex legal and executive privacy concerns, protecting victims’ identities, and other sensitive information, all while ensuring maximum transparency under the law.
However, several sources reveal that lawyers feel they lack clear and comprehensive directives on how to balance these competing demands. Counterintelligence specialists were reportedly asked to set aside other critical work to assist, though some declined to participate.
The mandate for this release comes from an act of Congress, compelling the Trump administration to finally deliver on promises of transparency regarding Epstein-related grand jury records, FBI files, and internal Justice Department discussions. For months, these promises went unfulfilled, contributing to a persistent political headache that may not entirely dissipate after Friday’s deadline.
Even with the impending release, sources anticipate extensive redactions, a level of opacity that could continue to draw public scrutiny. Legal document specialists are already preparing for the possibility that the Department of Justice’s release may contain more redactions than legally required, and even mistakes, particularly in disclosing sensitive personal information due to the rapid pace of the work.
“Either they’re going to screw it up or they’re going to withhold things. It wouldn’t surprise me,” commented one lawyer outside the Justice Department, who plans to scrutinize the release for potential complaints. “Some of it may be incompetence as much as deliberate.”
A Challenging Task Under Pressure
The sheer scope of the Epstein files is immense, requiring federal law enforcement sections to meticulously review records for responsiveness to the transparency law and necessary redactions. Lawyers have reportedly received only four pages of internal guidance, primarily articulating exemptions to the transparency law rather than clear instructions for maximizing public information.
Logistical hurdles further complicate the process. Duplicates within the document cache have not been removed, adding hundreds of unnecessary pages for attorneys to review. This also increases the risk of inconsistent or incorrect redactions.
This isn’t the first time the Justice Department has faced such challenges. Earlier this year, the National Security Division’s release of 60,000 pages related to the Kennedy assassination mistakenly made public the social security numbers and other private information of over 400 former congressional staffers.
The stakes are particularly high for the women who endured abuse at Epstein’s hands. According to recent reports, some Epstein victims feel left in the dark about the preparation of these files and have received no outreach from the DOJ ahead of the release. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on this article.
Who’s Doing the Redacting?
The responsibility for redacting the Epstein files was transferred from the FBI to the Justice Department’s National Security Division after the transparency law was passed. This assignment has surprised many national security law specialists, given the division’s traditional focus on classified matters and the lack of an apparent connection between Epstein and national security interests.
However, several sources indicate that the National Security Division was chosen due to its available manpower this year. The latest intensive redaction efforts began shortly after Congress passed the transparency act, ramping up in fervor over Thanksgiving.
The FBI had previously undertaken a similar redaction push earlier in the Trump administration, with agents working around-the-clock, including overnight shifts, to respond to Attorney General Pam Bondi’s unfulfilled promises of transparency.
Typically, document processing and redaction projects, especially those not related to national security, are handled by other Justice Department divisions, such as those that manage Freedom of Information Act requests. The National Security Division is also not the office that originally investigated Epstein.
Despite these unusual assignments, the National Security Division has previously managed substantial redaction projects for topics outside its core legal work, including historical files related to the Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy assassinations. While the division has seen some reductions in staff during this administration, it still comprises dozens of experienced lawyers accustomed to handling sensitive data with extensive and elaborate redaction needs.