Congress considering impeachments over release of Epstein files
www.newsnationnow.com

... Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a lead co-sponsor for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said Friday that lawmakers were mulling possible impeachment moves after the Justice Department (DOJ) released a tranche of heavily redacted files tied to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Khanna raised questions about the "quality" of the documents released and the redactions he deemed to be heavy-handed, lacking the explicit explanation for the withheld information required by the law, signed by President Trump late last month.

"Congress is talking about possible impeachment. They're talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general," he said during an appearance on CNN's "AC360."

"Any justice department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration," the California Democrat added.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche oversaw the latest file release, which did not include all of the files required by the legislation. Blanche and others alleged the process of redacting names to protect Epstein's victims and other innocent people was too time-consuming to be able to unveil all of the documents at once.

He added that Trump did not direct him to leave his name or others' names out of the release " but some photos of those perceived to be adults were blocked out.

"I don't know what the president has said, but what I do know is that [Blanche's] production violates the spirit of the law, and it violates the letter of the law, and it's a slap in the face of survivors," Khanna told CNN host John King.

"And so, look, they have underestimated this issue for six months. I don't get it. Just release the files, get it over with," he continued. "The president can talk about affordability and the economy. They're the ones who continue to play these games that make this a bigger and bigger issue." ...

The FBI Redacted Trump's Name in the Epstein Files (August 1, 2025)
www.bloomberg.com

... We know from news reports that Trump's name was in the Epstein files. But what hasn't been reported is that an FBI FOIA team redacted Trump's name"and the names of other prominent public figures"from the documents, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak with the media.

That team, tasked with conducting a final review of the voluminous cache, had applied the redactions before the DOJ and the FBI concluded last month that "no further disclosure" of the files "would be appropriate or warranted."

From the government's perspective, Trump was a private citizen when the Epstein investigation took place and therefore is entitled to privacy protections. ...

Trump's name blacked out

What happened next kicked off a new phase in the Epstein saga. As I reported in the March 28th edition of FOIA Files, Patel directed FBI special agents from the New York and Washington field offices to join the bureau's FOIA employees at its sprawling Central Records Complex in Winchester, Virginia and another building a few miles away.

They were instructed to search for and review every single Epstein-related document and determine what could be released. That included a mountain of material accumulated by the FBI over nearly two decades, including grand jury testimony, prosecutors' case files, as well as tens of thousands of pages of the bureau's own investigative files on Epstein. It was a herculean task that involved as many as 1,000 FBI agents and other personnel pulling all-nighters while poring through more than 100,000 documents, according to a July letter from Senator Dick Durbin to Bondi. ...