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US Department of Justice plans no redactions in Epstein files to project famous people

The agency pointed out that some of the material was temporarily removed based on requests from victims and their lawyers

WASHINGTON, December 22. /TASS/. The US Department of Justice has vowed that no redactions will be made to the files related to the case of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, charged with sexually abusing minors, in order to safeguard famous people.

"No redactions have been or will be made to protect famous individuals or politically important persons," the department said in a statement.

The agency pointed out that some of the material was temporarily removed based on requests from victims and their lawyers.

The US Department of Justice "has hundreds of thousands of pages of material to release," but experts will continue to redact them to protect victims’ privacy. The department "has more than 200 lawyers working around the clock reviewing each individual file for release."

Earlier, US lawmakers announced they were seeking to find Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress for failing to release more documents related to Epstein.

On December 19, the US Department of Justice released about 100,000 documents and images related to Epstein, though some were heavily redacted, which prompted many lawmakers to criticize Bondi and her agency. They also emphasized that some key documents remain unreleased. According to lawmakers, this could impede efforts to prosecute influential persons who had ties to Epstein and were involved in molesting minors.

Epstein case

Epstein was detained by New York State law enforcement in July 2019. The prosecutor's office said there was evidence that in 2002-2005 he organized visits to his Manhattan home by dozens of underage girls, the youngest of whom was 14. Epstein's friends and acquaintances included a large number of current and retired officials not only from the United States, but from many other countries, including former heads of state, major entrepreneurs, and show business stars. The criminal prosecution of the financier in the United States was terminated after he took his own life in a prison cell in August 2019.

Epstein's acquaintances included 42nd US President Bill Clinton and Trump.

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