US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recently claimed the Justice Department was not protecting anyone – least of all Donald Trump – but now faces new scrutiny over redacted names in Jeffrey Epstein scandal documents.
Lawmakers saw unredacted versions of blacked-out files and were perplexed by redactions. Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said, “We didn’t want there to be a cover-up, and yet what I saw today was that there were lots of examples of people’s names being redacted when they were not victims.”
The US push for disclosure is being thwarted due to differences in how countries handle investigations into powerful individuals. Europe has seen independent investigations and accountability, while the US Justice Department, run by Trump loyalists, has struggled to launch similar probes.
The scandal surrounding Epstein’s global network of billionaires and powerbrokers continues to unfold, with concerns about accountability and justice for survivors of his crimes. The recent offer by Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer to grant clemency in exchange for President Trump clearing his name raised questions about the department’s handling of the case.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/10/politics/trump-epstein-maxwell-clemency-analysis