Khanna names 6 men who he says were redacted from Epstein files for "no apparent reason"

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna took to the House level connected Tuesday to work retired the names of six "wealthy, almighty men" that the Justice Department had initially blacked retired successful the files connected the precocious enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The files referenced by Khanna and reviewed by CBS News — which person present been partially un-redacted to uncover the six names — bash not look to straight implicate the six men successful immoderate crimes, and Khanna did not allege immoderate circumstantial transgression wrongdoing. But the California Democrat formed the redactions arsenic failures by the Justice Department, which helium accused of shielding their names "for nary evident reason" erstwhile it released a trove of millions of documents connected Epstein.

The six men who were named by Khanna see billionaire Leslie Wexner, who led the genitor institution of Victoria's Secret and hired Epstein to negociate his money, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the CEO of Dubai-based logistics steadfast DB World. He besides listed retired 4 little well-known people: Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov and Nicola Caputo.

Khanna says helium discovered the six names connected Monday aft visiting a Justice Department bureau to presumption unredacted versions of the Epstein files with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The bipartisan duo co-sponsored a instrumentality past twelvemonth that required the Justice Department to merchandise virtually each of its investigative files connected Epstein, with redactions allowed to support survivors' identities and successful a fistful of different circumstances.

After leaving the building, Khanna and Massie told reporters they recovered the names aft searching done documents for portion of the afternoon. They said determination are apt others.

"And if we recovered six men that they were hiding successful 2 hours, ideate however galore men they are covering up for successful those 3 cardinal files," Khanna said Tuesday connected the House floor.

Late Monday, aft Massie pointed to a trio of documents wherever the six names appeared, the Justice Department partially un-redacted those files. They see a 2019 FBI document that refers to Wexner arsenic a "co-conspirator," an email correspondence betwixt Epstein and bin Sulayem and a list of 20 names that includes the 4 different men — though the discourse oregon intent of that database is not wholly clear, and it doesn't look to see allegations.

A ineligible typical for Wexner told CBS News that a national authoritative "told Mr. Wexner's ineligible counsel successful 2019 that Mr. Wexner was being viewed arsenic [a] root of accusation astir Epstein and was not a people successful immoderate respect. Mr. Wexner cooperated afloat by providing inheritance accusation connected Epstein and was ne'er contacted again." Wexner — who is named elsewhere successful the documents — has agelong said helium chopped ties with Epstein aft his crimes were made public. He has not been charged with a crime.

CBS News has reached retired to bin Sulayem for comment, and is attempting to scope retired to the different four.

In a bid of societal media posts connected Monday announcing the redactions had been removed from the men's names, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Massie of "grandstanding" and said the Justice Department is "hiding nothing."

A Justice Department spokesperson defended the department's handling of the files to CBS News, saying the section has ever cautioned "that with 3.5 cardinal pages, the teams whitethorn person inadvertently redacted individuals oregon near those unredacted who should person been."

The spokesperson added that 4 of the six names mentioned by Khanna "are lone included successful this 1 papers retired of each the files. Wexner is referenced astir 2 100 times successful the files, and Sultan bin Sulayem appears implicit 4,700 times."

Since the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed by President Trump successful November, the Justice Department has released a massive trove of records connected Epstein and his convicted subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell. The files see details connected the enactment trafficking investigations into Epstein and caller revelations astir the powerful people with whom the disgraced financier cultivated adjacent ties — though inclusion successful the files is not grounds of wrongdoing connected its own.

But the section has besides faced disapproval from legislature Democrats implicit its handling of the redaction process. Some observers person accused the section of over-redacting the files, portion immoderate attorneys for Epstein survivors accidental the section failed to decently redact their clients' names earlier publishing the files to a authorities database.

The section has said hundreds of lawyers person pored implicit the documents to look for survivors' names — a gargantuan task fixed the sheer fig of records. In immoderate cases, the section says it has temporarily removed files to redact names it initially missed.

But concerns astir redactions continued to circulate connected Monday, aft the Justice Department allowed lawmakers to view unredacted versions of the files successful person.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland told reporters Monday helium saw the "names of tons of radical who were redacted for mysterious oregon baffling oregon inscrutable reasons."