Investigative reporter Julie K. Brown found her American Airlines booking and a July 2019 flight itinerary among Department of Justice files released in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Brown publicly asked why her records — which include her maiden name — were attached to a grand jury subpoena and whether the DOJ had been monitoring her. The DOJ has announced it expects over a million additional documents from SDNY and the FBI for review under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, prompting questions about evidence-collection scope and journalist privacy.
Reporter Julie K. Brown Finds Her Flight Receipts Among DOJ’s Latest Epstein File Release — Why Were Her Records Included?
Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald investigative reporter whose 2018 series helped renew scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein, has discovered her American Airlines booking and a July 2019 flight itinerary among recently released Department of Justice files tied to the Epstein investigation.
Brown posted on X that the itinerary — which includes her maiden name and matches a trip she says she booked — appears attached to a grand jury subpoena within the released materials. She wrote, "Does somebody at the DOJ want to tell me why my American Airlines booking information and flights in July 2019 are part of the Epstein files (attached to a grand jury subpoena)?" and asked, "As the flight itinerary includes my maiden name (and I did book this flight) why was the DOJ monitoring me?"
Background
Brown's reporting on Epstein began in 2017 and culminated in a three-part Miami Herald investigation published in November 2018 titled "Perversion of Justice." That series is widely credited with reviving public and prosecutorial attention on Epstein's case and exposing longstanding failures to deliver accountability to victims. Estimates now suggest Epstein's victims numbered more than 1,000.
Recent Document Releases
The DOJ has released thousands of photos and documents related to Epstein over multiple waves. After an earlier tranche was made public, Brown noted that Donald Trump’s name appears in the files thousands of times — a frequency she emphasized does not by itself allege wrongdoing but shows Trump figured prominently in Epstein's documented sphere.
On Christmas Eve, the Department of Justice announced it expects to receive "over a million more documents" from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI for review under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and applicable statutes and court orders. Those additional materials are being evaluated for potential public release.
Why This Matters
Journalists and civil liberties advocates say the discovery of a reporter's travel records among grand jury materials raises important questions about the scope of evidence collection and the privacy protections afforded to members of the press. It is not yet clear whether Brown's records were collected as routine evidence, as part of a broader subpoena to airlines, or for some other reason. The DOJ has not issued a specific statement regarding Brown's inquiry.
What To Watch For
Observers will likely look for: any DOJ response clarifying how and why certain third-party records were gathered; whether the release includes additional personal data for journalists or other third parties; and how the department balances transparency with privacy when publishing materials linked to grand jury subpoenas.
Source: Mediaite coverage of Brown's social media posts and DOJ statements regarding the Epstein files.
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