Doj Refuses To Hand Over Epstein Files After Judge’s Order

The Department of Justice is refusing to manus complete redacted accusation from investigative files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, contempt an bid from a national judge to either merchandise nan documents aliases explicate why they were withheld.

Hours earlier a deadline to move complete nan materials, Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward asked nan judge to hold nan deadline for different 2 months, aliases to dissolve nan bid wholly by accepting nan Justice Department’s mentation for withholding those documents.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan sided pinch journalist Katie Phang aft she revenge a lawsuit accusing Donald Trump’s management of violating nan Epstein Files Transparency Act, which nan president signed into rule past year.

The lawsuit, which was revenge against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, accuses nan authorities of obstructing nan public’s correct to entree materials connected to investigations into Epstein. The judge gave nan Justice Department until Thursday to respond.

On Thursday night, Woodward wrote that nan authorities is “committed to transparency and compliance” but “strongly disagrees” pinch nan judge’s order.

The authorities does not judge it violated nan Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding materials from nan public. “Indeed, nan Department has not knowingly violated, nor has it ever acknowledged violating, nan EFTA arsenic it continues moving to comply pinch statutory requirements,” Woodward wrote.

“As will go apparent, it would contravene nan settled exertion of [the law]for nan Department to nutrient unredacted versions of galore of nan records astatine issue, and thing requires that result,” he said.

Interview notes from investigators who said to a female who made unsubstantiated battle claims astir Trump were “deemed duplicative of nan typewritten reports memorializing nan interviews,” according to Woodward.

The president has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, and one’s quality successful nan Epstein files does not propose otherwise.

“Their handwritten quality further complicates nan redaction process and increases nan consequence of inadvertent disclosure of unfortunate [personal identifiable information] — including because of method limitations connected nan Department's expertise to tally meaningful value power checks,” he added.

Other documents were redacted to protect nan names of survivors, including communications that “can look disturbing connected their face,” Woodward told nan judge.

He besides said investigators could not find an unredacted type of a 2007 draught indictment from national prosecutors successful Florida, wherever Epstein pleaded blameworthy to lesser charges arsenic portion of a arguable woody to debar much superior criminal penalties.

A type of nan draught was published for nan first clip pinch nan merchandise of nan Epstein files earlier this year, but investigators are now incapable to “locate an unredacted type of this circumstantial photocopy.”

The Justice Department initially said it intends to entreaty Sullivan’s order, which a spokesperson astatine nan clip called “perverse.”

“Judge Sullivan's perverse mentation appears to beryllium focused connected driving misleading headlines,” nan spokesperson said past month. “This judge is suggesting DOJ break nan rule by un-redacting unfortunate names, who arsenic nan Department has ever explained, sadly became co-conspirators. DOJ has produced each responsive documents and will entreaty this determination pinch confidence.”

Sullivan’s order, however, did not bid nan merchandise of survivors’ names, only to warrant definite redactions, nutrient immoderate further records supporting them and people nan redaction log arsenic required by law.

The Independent has requested remark from attorneys for Phang.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed by Congress and signed into rule by Trump successful November, ordering nan Justice Department to merchandise each files connected to investigations into Epstein by December 19.

The able and well-connected activity offender died successful situation awaiting proceedings connected activity trafficking charges successful 2019, but nan government’s handling of investigations surrounding Epstein — and his alleged connections to a wider web of powerful figures — has travel nether fierce scrutiny.

The management has since published millions of pages of documents but has been accused of withholding records related to group wrong Epstein’s orbit, including Trump. Survivors person accused management officials of failing to protect their identities while going retired of their measurement to conceal nan identities of powerful figures connected to Epstein.

A class-action lawsuit revenge connected behalf of survivors of Epstein’s maltreatment earlier this twelvemonth accused nan Trump management and Google of failing to protect their identities and exposing them to “renewed trauma” and harassment.

The Justice Department “outed” astir 100 survivors pinch nan merchandise of millions of documents connected to nan precocious activity offender’s criminal cases, “publishing their backstage accusation and identifying them to nan world,” according to nan lawsuit.