The Department of Justice (DOJ) just yanked public access to several thousand crucial investigation documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, as reported by NOTUS. This astonishing move came after the files were released at the end of last week, only for the DOJ to realize they contained widespread and catastrophic redaction errors.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the documents were pulled back due to a major operational failure. She wrote in a letter to Manhattan federal judges that the files “may have inadvertently included victim-identifying information due to various factors, including technical or human error.”
The alarm was first raised by lawyers representing several of Epstein’s victims. Just a day after the documents were posted online, the lawyers requested their immediate removal, citing “thousands of redaction failures.” They stated clearly that the documents contained sensitive information that could identify the victims.
The last thing victims need is to have their privacy breached due to a government oversight
In response to this urgent request, Bondi confirmed that the DOJ moved quickly. They removed “nearly all of those materials specifically identified by victims or their counsel,” as well as “a substantial number of documents identified independently by the Department.”
The latest tranche of files released on Friday included more than 3 million pages of documents, including photos. This massive transparency effort was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a piece of legislation pushed through Congress by Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna. This huge document drop came weeks after the mandated deadline of December 19, 2025, meaning the process was already operating under extreme scrutiny and delay before this new error hit.
Bondi, along with co-signers Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, assured the court the department is already overhauling how they handle these files. They wrote that the intense review over the weekend led to “significant enhancements to and streamlining of the Department’s processes for addressing victim concern.”
The current plan is to keep the flagged documents off the Epstein Library website while Justice officials review the material for potential redactions or other necessary security measures. We can expect the newly redacted documents to be reposted within 24 to 36 hours.
Bondi confirmed that the unredacted files will remain available to lawmakers. She stated that the Department is committed to working with House and Senate leadership to allow members of Congress to inspect the unredacted materials. This is to demonstrate that the redactions being imposed on the public versions are consistent with the requirements of the Act, especially concerning the critical protection of victim-identifying information.
Published: Feb 3, 2026 10:30 am