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

The Justice Department released thousands of new records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents are fully redacted, CBS News has found.

The newly released files included photos of several prominent people in Epstein's orbit, images from his homes and investigative records that detail disturbing allegations against the late sex offender. But the heavy redactions in many of the records have drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, as the department defends its handling of the files.

One series of three consecutive documents — totaling 255 pages — is entirely redacted, with each page covered by a black box. A fourth 119-page document labeled "Grand Jury-NY" is also entirely redacted. It's unclear what proceedings it stemmed from, but the document listed immediately before it is a transcript in which a prosecutor asks a grand jury in 2020 to consider evidence for a superseding indictment of Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

At least 180 blacked-out pages appear in files that are mostly but not entirely redacted. In some cases, a cover page, a photo of a folder or something else that isn't fully redacted precedes several pages that are entirely obscured by a black box.

In other cases, the redactions were more sparing. For example, a 96-page police report on a Florida investigation into Epstein in the mid-2000s redacts the names of victims and other details, but leaves many other details in.

And some of the thousands of photos included in Friday's release are partially redacted, with some people's faces obscured by boxes. Photos that include former President Bill Clinton, pop star Michael Jackson and other notable people have partial redactions (though Clinton and Jackson themselves are fully visible).

Why was the DOJ allowed to redact Epstein files?

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress last month, requires the Justice Department to release the files in its possession related to Epstein and Maxwell. 

Redactions are allowed for a handful of reasons, including to protect survivors' personal information and to leave out violent photos and child sexual abuse material. Documents can also be withheld in a "narrowly tailored and temporary" manner if their release would "jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution."

Some of Friday's redactions appear to black out the names of survivors, but it's not clear in every case why information was blacked out. The government is required to give Congress a list of redactions within 15 days.

The law explicitly forbids the government from withholding records due to the risk of "embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity." The Justice Department said on X that no politicians' names were redacted from the files.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a letter to Congress earlier Friday that a team of more than 200 Justice Department lawyers scoured the documents in search of survivors' names and other things that needed to be redacted. He said the department is still going through the files and will release more of them on a "rolling basis," though the law required them to be released by Friday.

Blanche's letter also said "additional lawyers of review" were necessary when reviewing grand jury transcripts. Judges in New York and Florida have given the government permission to release grand jury transcripts from Epstein and Maxwell's cases, but the judge overseeing the Maxwell case required the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan to "personally certify" that none of the documents contain victims' personal information. 

Democrats criticize the redactions in Epstein files

Some lawmakers have blasted the Justice Department for the redactions and for acknowledging that some documents will be released later.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who helped lead the effort to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, argued that Friday's document release wasn't in compliance with their law.

Khanna called it an "incomplete release with too many redactions" in a video posted to X. He said he's "exploring all options," including impeachment or referrals for prosecution. Massie said the release"grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said: "Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law. For example, all 119 pages of one document were completely blacked out. We need answers as to why." 

CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department for comment on the criticism.

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

"Democrat administrations in the past have refused to provide full details of the Jeffrey Epstein saga," Blanche said in his letter to lawmakers. "But President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and FBI Director Patel are committed to providing full transparency consistent with the law."