The Justice Department removed multiple redactions from documents connected to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following accusations from two congressmen that officials improperly concealed identities of potential co-conspirators.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche made the announcement Monday evening after Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) challenged the department’s redaction practices.
The Kentucky Republican and California Democrat had reviewed unredacted versions of the files earlier that day.
They subsequently informed reporters that names of “six men” who may have been “implicated” in the sex trafficking operation run by Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell had been blacked out from materials the Justice Department released in late January.
Blanche responded to the congressional criticism by defending the department’s actions and announcing immediate changes to the redactions.
“The document you cite has numerous victim names. We have just unredacted all non-victim names from this document. The DOJ is committed to transparency,” Blanche stated on X, addressing a specific document Massie had referenced.
The document in question contained a list of 20 names.
Before the changes, 18 of those names had been redacted.
Following Blanche’s announcement, only two redactions remained in place.
Additional modifications were made to a separate document dated August 15, 2019. This FBI-compiled list of Epstein “family and associates” previously concealed the identity of billionaire businessman Les Wexner. That redaction has now been removed.
The document identifies Wexner as a “co-conspirator” alongside Maxwell, French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, and Lesley Groff, who served as Epstein’s longtime executive assistant.
Blanche emphasized that Wexner’s name was not being newly disclosed. The deputy attorney general pointed out that Wexner “already appears in the files thousands of times.”
“DOJ is hiding nothing,” Blanche added in his defense of the department’s handling of the documents.
Despite the unredactions, Massie continued pressing the Justice Department on additional withheld information.
The congressman argued that the identity of a “Sultan” should also be revealed. This individual reportedly received an email from Epstein that referenced a “torture video.”
Blanche pushed back against Massie’s criticism regarding this particular redaction.
“You looked at the document. You know it’s an email address that was redacted. The law requires redactions for personally identifiable information, including if in an email address,” Blanche responded to the congressman.
The deputy attorney general further explained that the “Sultan’s name is available unredacted in the files.” He indicated the individual in question is likely Emirati businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
Blanche concluded his exchange with Massie by issuing a sharp rebuke to the congressman.
“Be honest, and stop grandstanding,” Blanche directed at Massie.
