The Division of Justice on Thursday declined to show over further data from the Epstein recordsdata as ordered by a choose, arguing the supplies embody delicate sufferer data or had been appropriately redacted as required by legislation.
Hours forward of the deadline to show over the supplies or clarify why they had been correctly withheld, Affiliate U.S. Legal professional Basic Stanley Woodward requested the choose to delay the deadline by 60 days or disregard it completely by accepting the DOJ’s causes for withholding the supplies.
“Though the Authorities strongly disagrees with the Court docket’s ruling that the [Epstein Files Transparency Act] is enforceable by non-public events by way of the Administrative Process Act, the Authorities welcomes this chance to resolve any confusion relating to the data at problem on this case,” Woodward wrote.
Shut up picture of a pill display displaying a portrait of Jeffrey Epstein beside the official U.S. Division of Justice web site web page titled Epstein Library in Washington District of Columbia United States on February 11, 2026.
Veronique Tournier/Hans Lucas/AFP by way of Getty Photos
In line with Woodward, some emails in query — which had their senders and recipients hid — had been redacted to guard the names of victims. For one of many emails, Woodward claimed that a number of the data was withheld as a result of “many communications written by victims, with out context, can seem disturbing on their face.”
Woodward additionally claimed that the redactions to a draft 2007 indictment from the Southern District of Florida had been current within the authentic file obtained by the Division of Justice and that they’ve been unable “to find an unredacted model of this particular photocopy.”
Concerning the interview notes from a girl who made unsubstantiated assault claims about President Donald Trump, Woodward claimed that the supplies had been “deemed duplicative of the typewritten studies memorializing the interviews.”
“Their handwritten nature additional complicates the redaction course of and will increase the chance of inadvertent disclosure of sufferer [personal identifiable information] — together with due to technical limitations on the Division’s skill to run significant high quality management checks for sufferer PII throughout handwritten supplies,” he wrote.
The claims made by the girl had been uncorroborated, and Trump has denied the allegations. The DOJ has launched the interview studies from a few of these interviews, however not the underlying notes.
The U.S. Division of Justice emblem is seen on a podium earlier than a information convention, Monday, Might 4, 2026, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Woodward additionally pushed again on the U.S. District Choose Emmet Sullivan’s conclusion that the Division of Justice successfully conceded that they violated the legislation handed by Congress to pressure the discharge of the Epstein recordsdata.
“Certainly, the Division has not knowingly violated, nor has it ever acknowledged violating, the EFTA because it continues working to adjust to statutory necessities,” he wrote.
In his order final week, Sullivan rejected the DOJ’s arguments towards releasing the supplies and concluded that the Public Integrity Undertaking, a public curiosity legislation agency, demonstrated that unbiased journalist Katie Phang was harmed by the supplies being withheld.
The DOJ started releasing 1000’s of pages of paperwork associated to Epstein late final 12 months, following the discharge of the Epstein Information Transparency Act.
Nevertheless, the division confronted criticism from some lawmakers who questioned whether or not the division violated the act by withholding some supplies and lacking the deadline to launch the recordsdata.
Appearing Legal professional Basic Todd Blanche has said repeatedly that the DOJ has complied with the legislation.
