The US Justice Department has taken down thousands of documents and media files related to Jeffrey Epstein after they inadvertently exposed identifying information about victims, sparking outcry. The department acknowledged on Monday that the releases, which began on Friday, contained sensitive details due to technical or human error.
In a letter to the New York judges overseeing the sex-trafficking cases against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, US Attorney Jay Clayton stated that nearly all materials flagged by victims or their lawyers had been removed, along with a substantial number identified independently by the government. Clayton noted that protocols for reviewing and redacting documents have been revised iteratively in response to requests from victims and their legal representatives.
Clayton explained that documents are promptly taken down when victims raise concerns, with evaluations conducted before redacted versions are reposted, ideally within 24 to 36 hours. Meanwhile, a section of the Justice Department's Epstein files website containing public court records from criminal and civil cases ceased functioning on Monday, though no immediate comment was provided.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged sporadic redaction errors in an interview on Sunday, stating that the department has worked quickly to address them. He claimed that the affected materials represent only 0.001% of all documents released.
The impact of these errors was highlighted in a New York federal court on Monday, where defence lawyers for Tal, Oren, and Alon Alexander—three brothers charged with drugging and raping multiple women—sought a mistrial. Deanna Paul, their lawyer, argued that the government's failure to properly redact the brothers' names in Epstein-related documents had destroyed the possibility of a fair trial. Judge Valerie E Caproni tentatively rejected the mistrial request but expressed frustration with the prosecution.
Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa confirmed that at least one document mentioning the Alexander brothers should have been properly redacted and has been withdrawn. She also noted that remaining Epstein-related documents to be released are primarily from civil litigation and may require judicial approval.
