Over 500 pages in Epstein files were entirely blacked out, CBS News finds

The Justice Department released thousands of caller records connected Jeffrey Epstein connected Friday, but astatine slightest 550 pages successful the documents are afloat redacted, CBS News has found.

The recently released files included photos of respective salient radical successful Epstein's orbit, images from his homes and investigative records that item disturbing allegations against the precocious enactment offender. But the dense redactions successful galore of the records person drawn disapproval from Democrats and immoderate Republicans, arsenic the section defends its handling of the files.

One bid of three consecutive documents — totaling 255 pages — is wholly redacted, with each leafage covered by a achromatic box. A 4th 119-page document labeled "Grand Jury-NY" is besides wholly redacted. It's unclear what proceedings it stemmed from, but the document listed instantly earlier it is simply a transcript successful which a authoritative asks a expansive assemblage successful 2020 to see grounds for a superseding indictment of Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

At slightest 180 blacked-out pages look successful files that are mostly but not wholly redacted. In immoderate cases, a screen page, a photo of a folder oregon something other that isn't afloat redacted precedes respective pages that are wholly obscured by a achromatic box.

In different cases, the redactions were much sparing. For example, a 96-page constabulary report connected a Florida probe into Epstein successful the mid-2000s redacts the names of victims and different details, but leaves galore different details in.

And immoderate of the thousands of photos included successful Friday's merchandise are partially redacted, with immoderate people's faces obscured by boxes. Photos that see former President Bill Clinton, popular prima Michael Jackson and different notable radical person partial redactions (though Clinton and Jackson themselves are afloat visible).

Why was the DOJ allowed to redact Epstein files?

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress past month, requires the Justice Department to merchandise the files successful its possession related to Epstein and Maxwell. 

Redactions are allowed for a fistful of reasons, including to support survivors' idiosyncratic accusation and to permission retired convulsive photos and kid intersexual maltreatment material. Documents tin besides beryllium withheld successful a "tailored and impermanent manner" if their merchandise would "jeopardize an progressive national probe oregon ongoing prosecution."

Some of Friday's redactions look to achromatic retired the names of survivors, but it's not wide successful each lawsuit wherefore accusation was blacked out. The authorities is required to springiness Congress a database of redactions wrong 15 days.

The instrumentality explicitly forbids the authorities from withholding records owed to the hazard of "embarrassment, reputational harm, oregon governmental sensitivity." The Justice Department said connected X that no politicians' names were redacted from the files.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said successful a missive to Congress earlier Friday that a squad of much than 200 Justice Department lawyers scoured the documents successful hunt of survivors'' names and different things that needed to beryllium redacted. He said the section is inactive going done the files and volition merchandise much of them connected a "rolling basis," though the instrumentality required them to beryllium released by Friday.

Blanche's missive besides said "additional lawyers of review" were indispensable erstwhile reviewing expansive assemblage transcripts. Judges successful New York and Florida person fixed the authorities support to merchandise expansive assemblage transcripts from Epstein and Maxwell's cases, but the justice overseeing the Maxwell lawsuit required the apical national authoritative successful Manhattan to "personally certify" that nary of the documents incorporate victims' idiosyncratic information. 

Democrats knock the redactions successful Epstein files

Some lawmakers person blasted the Justice Department for the redactions and for acknowledging that immoderate documents volition beryllium released later.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who helped pb the effort to walk the Epstein Files Transparency Act, argued that Friday's papers merchandise wasn't successful compliance with their law.

Khanna called it an "incomplete merchandise with excessively galore redactions" successful a video posted to X. He said he's "exploring each options," including impeachment oregon referrals for prosecution. Massie said the release "grossly fails to comply with some the tone and the missive of the law."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said: "Simply releasing a upland of blacked retired pages violates the tone of transparency and the missive of the law. For example, each 119 pages of 1 papers were wholly blacked out. We request answers arsenic to why." 

CBS News has reached retired to the Justice Department for remark connected the criticism.

The Justice Department has defended its handling of the files. Blanche told Fox News Digital: "The lone redactions being applied to the documents are those required by instrumentality — afloat stop."

"Democrat administrations successful the past person refused to supply afloat details of the Jeffrey Epstein saga," Blanche said successful his missive to lawmakers. "But President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and FBI Director Patel are committed to providing afloat transparency accordant with the law."

• Jeffrey Epstein