Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman claims the Trump administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) is orchestrating a "cover-up" due to extensive redactions in the recently released Jeffrey Epstein documents. Litman argues that the redactions exceed the limits set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which permits redactions only to protect victims' identities and ongoing investigations, not to prevent reputational damage to individuals named in the files.
He specifically noted the disproportionate number of redactions related to former President Bill Clinton compared to Donald Trump, suggesting an attempt to obscure potentially damaging information about Trump by highlighting details involving others. While Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated redactions were made to protect over 1,200 victims, classified national security information, and attorney-client privilege, Litman believes the true intent is to control the narrative, drawing parallels to the redactions in the Robert Mueller report. The DOJ is required to explain these redactions to Congress within two weeks, but lawmakers are currently in recess and will not return until January.