A group of women who say they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein is accusing the Department of Justice of violating federal law and endangering victims in its release of records tied to Epstein’s crimes.
In a blunt public statement, the women say the government failed on two fronts at once. They say it withheld massive amounts of material Congress ordered released while also exposing survivors by leaving names and identifying details unredacted.
A Deadline Missed and a Release That Fell Short
Congress gave the Justice Department 30 days to release records from government investigations into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
On Friday, the DOJ released thousands of pages of documents, including investigative records, grand jury materials, and photographs taken by Epstein and his associates. At the same time, officials acknowledged the release was incomplete and that a large volume of records remained under review.
To the women who say they were harmed by Epstein, that explanation was not enough.
“A Fraction of the Files” and Extreme Redactions
In a statement issued Monday through their attorneys, 19 alleged victims, including two Jane Does, said the release was deeply flawed.
“Instead, the public received a fraction of the files, and what we received was riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation,” the statement said.
Even more troubling, the women said, was that some victim identities were left visible in the documents, causing “real and immediate harm.”
Key Evidence Still Missing
The group pointed to major gaps in what was released.
They said no financial records were made public, despite the central role money played in Epstein’s operations. They said grand jury minutes that had been approved for release by a federal judge were not partially redacted but completely blacked out.
According to the statement, 119 full pages of grand jury material were obscured, and the women were told that hundreds of thousands of pages of records remain unreleased.
“These are clear-cut violations of an unambiguous law,” the statement said.
Confusion and Reversals Over Redactions
Some documents initially released with heavy redactions were quietly reposted early Saturday with some of those redactions removed, according to a review by ABC News.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said additional materials would be released as reviews continue, stressing that the department must comply with the law while protecting victims.
The DOJ repeated that message Sunday, saying it would keep reviewing records as more information becomes available.
Law Signed by Trump Set the Clock
The release stems from legislation signed in November by Donald Trump, which required the Justice Department to make the Epstein-related materials public within 30 days.
The alleged victims say the DOJ structured the release in a way that made it difficult or impossible for them to locate information relevant to their own cases. They also say they were not consulted before documents were released or redacted.
“It is alarming that the United States Department of Justice, the very agency tasked with upholding the law, has violated the law,” the statement said.
Lawyers Say Survivors Were Exposed
Concerns escalated over the weekend as attorneys Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards, who represent more than 200 survivors of Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, said clients began contacting them in distress.
They said survivors found their names or identifying details in documents that were supposed to be redacted.
In one case, the lawyers said, a sealed document from settled civil litigation listing more than two dozen alleged victims was posted online without redactions. That document was later removed from the DOJ website.
By Sunday, about 15 documents had been pulled down, at least temporarily, following discussions with federal officials.
DOJ Pulls Files After Complaints
In a social media statement Sunday afternoon, the Justice Department said it had received requests from individuals identifying themselves as victims and from their lawyers.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the material is temporarily removed for review,” the department said, adding that documents would be reposted with appropriate redactions if required by law.
DOJ Defends Its Process
In an interview on Sunday, Blanche said the department is complying with the statute and must balance transparency with victim protection.
“The statute also requires us to protect victims,” he said, explaining that ongoing reviews are meant to prevent further exposure of survivors’ identities.
He added that victims and their lawyers can contact the DOJ if documents identify them and that the department will remove and review those records.
Survivors Call for Oversight
The women who issued Monday’s statement are now calling on Congress to intervene.
They want immediate oversight, they said, to ensure the Justice Department releases what the law requires and does not further harm the people it is meant to protect.
For survivors of Epstein, the dispute is not just about paperwork. It is about whether the government can be trusted to tell the truth about what happened, and to do so without putting victims at risk all over again.
