Four senators on Wednesday asked a government watchdog agency to audit the “protocols and processes” the Justice Department used to make what the lawmakers consider unlawful redactions in the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
The law Congress passed last year to mandate the public release of all documents related to the DOJ’s investigation of Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes allowed for narrow redactions, such as those needed to protect victims’ personally identifiable information.
It also specifically barred DOJ from making redactions “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
The four senators — Democrats Jeffrey A. Merkley of Oregon, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois and Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — said DOJ failed to follow the law as it reviewed and released millions of pages of Epstein-related documents, including thousands of images and videos.
“Contrary to Congress’s explicit directive to protect victims, these records included email addresses and nude photos in which the names and faces of publicly-identified and non-public victims could be identified,” the senators said in a letter asking the Government Accountability Office to audit DOJ’s review process.
“But when it came to information identifying powerful business and political figures who are alleged coconspirators or material witnesses, DOJ appears to have heavily redacted those records,” they said, adding that the department also removed records from its website “that relate to allegations against President Trump and others, with no apparent explanation.”
The senators asked GAO to find out how many DOJ employees were tasked with reviewing and redacting the files and how many hours they spent on the task, including any political appointees with a role in the final approval of redactions.
They also want the watchdog to dig into the directives those employees were given, written or otherwise, both for the initial review and redactions and the removal of documents from the public database.
“As Congress continues to seek justice for the victims of Epstein and his coconspirators, GAO can offer an independent inquiry into the processes undertaken by DOJ in redacting and releasing these files — assessing DOJ’s due diligence and whether the release of these files has served to cover up child sexual abuse,” the senators said.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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