Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice on Jan. 30, in Washington, D.C.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
The Department of Justice released more than 3 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, in its files tied to the death and criminal investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
NPR reporters are reviewing the files, which so far have included unredacted names and photographs of Epstein victims, communications with powerful figures like Elon Musk and former White House counsel in the Obama administration Kathryn Ruemmler and even more mentions of President Trump.
Being mentioned in the files, which include unvetted submissions made to the FBI, Epstein’s private correspondence and court records, is not a sign of wrongdoing or association with Epstein’s crimes.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says Friday’s release means the DOJ is now in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed last November and which legally required the DOJ to release all the files.
Members of Congress who passed the law had earlier complained that the DOJ had failed to meet its deadline of mid-December to release all the files and have questioned the extensive redactions made to photos and documents released so far.
NPR’s initial review of the new files found Trump’s face blacked out on a news article sent by onetime advisor Steve Bannon and a spreadsheet that contained unverified allegations of inappropriate conduct by Trump and others that was briefly offline.
A Justice Department spokeswoman said the document was down “due to overload and is back online.”
The Justice Department press release also said that the tranche of files may include “fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the Act.”
“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the release continues. “To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
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Blanche at a press conference on Friday morning said more than 500 lawyers and others worked through weekends and holidays to comply with the law, while making sure to protect victims’ information. He said they had to review more than 6 million pages — “two Eiffel Towers of pages” — to decide what to release. They’re continuing to withhold documents that depict violence or involve attorney-client privilege, he said. The department also said it discarded any duplicates or unrelated materials.
“I take umbrage at the suggestion, which is totally false, that the attorney general or this department does not take child exploitation or sex trafficking seriously, or that we somehow do not want to protect victims,” Blanche said.
He also said the DOJ wasn’t seeking to protect President Trump while releasing the files, though some of the files contained sensational and false claims about the president and others.
“Through the process, the Department provided clear instructions to reviewers that the redactions were to be limited to the protection of victims and their families,” the DOJ said in a statement. “Some pornographic images, whether commercial or not, were redacted, given the Department treated all women in those images as victims. Notable individuals and politicians were not redacted in the release of any files.”
Epstein files political saga
The release of the Epstein files is the latest development in a political saga that has dogged Trump’s second term in office and caused bipartisan backlash against Trump’s conflicting and shifting commentary on the subject.
Trump amplified conspiracy theories about the files relating to his onetime friend Epstein on the campaign trail, vowing to publicize information about the financier’s crimes and ties to powerful people that he alleged was being covered up by the government. But once he returned to the White House, Trump fought efforts by lawmakers and his supporters to release those files.
“There’s this mantra out there that, oh, you know, the Department of Justice is supposed to protect Donald J. Trump,” Blanche said on Friday. “That’s not true. That was never the case. We are always concerned about the victims.” He said Trump has directed the DOJ to “be as transparent as we can.”
Separately, Blanche said the Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen who was shot by two immigration enforcement officers last weekend in Minneapolis. The investigation is being led by the FBI, but it is also coordinating with the DOJ’s civil rights division, which is led by Harmeet Dhillon.
He also said the investigation was being done in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
“I don’t want the takeaway to be that there’s some massive civil rights investigation that’s happening; I would describe this as a standard investigation by the FBI, when there’s circumstances like what we saw last Saturday,” Blanche said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
NPR’s Ryan Lucas, Elena Moore, Saige Miller, Jaclyn Diaz, Carrie Johnson, Alana Wise and Danielle Kurtzleben contributed reporting.
