DOJ refuses to hand over Epstein files after judge’s order

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The Department of Justice is refusing to hand over redacted information from investigative files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, despite an order from a federal judge to either release the documents or explain why they were withheld.

Hours before a deadline to turn over the materials, Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward asked the judge to delay the deadline for another two months, or to dissolve the order entirely by accepting the Justice Department’s explanation for withholding those documents.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan sided with journalist Katie Phang after she filed a lawsuit accusing Donald Trump’s administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the president signed into law last year.

The lawsuit, which was filed against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, accuses the government of obstructing the public’s right to access materials connected to investigations into Epstein. The judge gave the Justice Department until Thursday to respond.

On Thursday night, Woodward wrote that the government is “committed to transparency and compliance” but “strongly disagrees” with the judge’s order.

open image in gallery DOJ attorneys working under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche say the government is refusing to release additional Epstein-related documents despite an order from a federal judge to show materials to the court or explain why they are being withheld ( Reuters )

The government does not believe it violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding materials from the public. “Indeed, the Department has not knowingly violated, nor has it ever acknowledged violating, the EFTA as it continues working to comply with statutory requirements,” Woodward wrote.

“As will become apparent, it would contravene the settled application of [the law]for the Department to produce unredacted versions of many of the records at issue, and nothing requires that result,” he said.

Interview notes from investigators who spoke to a woman who made unsubstantiated assault claims about Trump were “deemed duplicative of the typewritten reports memorializing the interviews,” according to Woodward.

The president has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, and one’s appearance in the Epstein files does not suggest otherwise.

“Their handwritten nature further complicates the redaction process and increases the risk of inadvertent disclosure of victim [personal identifiable information] — including because of technical limitations on the Department's ability to run meaningful quality control checks,” he added.

Other documents were redacted to protect the names of survivors, including communications that “can appear disturbing on their face,” Woodward told the judge.

He also said investigators could not find an unredacted version of a 2007 draft indictment from federal prosecutors in Florida, where Epstein pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of a controversial deal to avoid more serious criminal penalties.

A version of the draft was published for the first time with the release of the Epstein files earlier this year, but investigators are now unable to “locate an unredacted version of this specific photocopy.”

The Justice Department initially said it intends to appeal Sullivan’s order, which a spokesperson at the time called “perverse.”

“Judge Sullivan's perverse interpretation appears to be focused on driving misleading headlines,” the spokesperson said last month. “This judge is suggesting DOJ violate the law by un-redacting victim names, who as the Department has always explained, sadly became co-conspirators. DOJ has produced all responsive documents and will appeal this decision with confidence.”

Sullivan’s order, however, did not order the release of survivors’ names, only to justify certain redactions, produce any additional records supporting them and publish the redaction log as required by law.

The Independent has requested comment from attorneys for Phang.

open image in gallery A lawsuit from journalist Katie Phang accuses Todd Blanche and other DOJ officials of obstructing the public’s right to access materials connected to investigations into Epstein after a law was passed to publish the documents ( Getty )

The Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump in November, ordering the Justice Department to release all files connected to investigations into Epstein by December 19.

The wealthy and well-connected sex offender died in prison awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019, but the government’s handling of investigations surrounding Epstein — and his alleged connections to a wider network of powerful figures — has come under fierce scrutiny.

The administration has since published millions of pages of documents but has been accused of withholding records related to people within Epstein’s orbit, including Trump. Survivors have accused administration officials of failing to protect their identities while going out of their way to conceal the identities of powerful figures connected to Epstein.

A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of survivors of Epstein’s abuse earlier this year accused the Trump administration and Google of failing to protect their identities and exposing them to “renewed trauma” and harassment.

The Justice Department “outed” roughly 100 survivors with the release of millions of documents connected to the late sex offender’s criminal cases, “publishing their private information and identifying them to the world,” according to the lawsuit.