The Justice Department began releasing thousands of Jeffrey Epstein documents after a new law forced disclosure, but a second batch published Saturday drew fire for heavy redactions. Rep. Jamie Raskin said entire documents appeared obscured and suggested the edits could protect President Trump and his circle. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said victim-identifying information was being redacted and that more records would be released in the coming weeks. Sen. Tim Kaine said the piecemeal, censored releases and the removal of material have eroded public trust and called for full transparency.
Raskin Slams DOJ Over Extensive Redactions in Epstein Files; Kaine Demands Full Release
Two Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized the Justice Department on Sunday after a second tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents was released with heavy redactions. Lawmakers say the redactions go beyond protecting victims and appear aimed at obscuring connections involving President Donald Trump and his associates.
What Happened
The Justice Department began publishing thousands of additional records on Friday to comply with a new law President Trump signed last month. A second batch posted Saturday drew immediate scrutiny because large portions were blacked out or withheld.
Lawmakers React
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told CNN's "State of the Union": "How can you block out an entire document? It makes no sense." He said the redactions looked like "covering up things that for whatever reason Donald Trump doesn't want to go public," including potential ties to Epstein's social and business networks.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" he does not trust the DOJ to comply fully with the law. "When they release files that are a fraction of what's available, heavily redacted, and then pull material back, it's reasonable to be suspicious," Kaine said, urging that "all these files need to come out."
DOJ Response and Details
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department was producing records in stages and that victim-identifying information would be redacted to protect privacy. He also said additional documents would be released in the coming weeks to meet the new legal requirements.
The latest release included photos of former President Bill Clinton and at least one image of Donald Trump; that Trump image later disappeared from the DOJ website. Observers noted that much of the packet either duplicated material already public or carried redactions that extended beyond obvious victim-identifying details.
Context
Critics say the pattern of heavy redaction and the temporary removal of material have eroded public trust in the disclosure process and reinforced calls from some lawmakers and advocates for full, unredacted transparency where legally permissible.
What to watch for: further batches of documents promised by the DOJ, and whether new releases reduce the scope of redactions or clarify the reasons for withholding specific material.
