Republican congressman says Epstein files likely incriminated' six more men

"Thomas Massie, a US congressman, has said he knows the identity of six more men who are likely incriminated by their inclusion in the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files after he viewed an unredacted version of the documents relating to the disgraced late financier and sexual abuser. The Kentucky Republican suggested he might reveal their names under congressional privilege if the justice department (DoJ) continued to conceal their identities in publicly available copies of the documents that are still redacted."

"What I saw that bothered me were the names of at least six men that have been redacted that are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files, said Massie, lead sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that forced Donald Trump's administration to publish its vast trove of documents into the connections and activities of the president's former friend."

"A small group of Democrats who also viewed the papers on Monday, the first day they were made available to lawmakers, accused the DoJ of a cover-up for mysterious redactions they saw in the documents. The transparency act allows only limited redactions, mostly to protect the identities of Epstein's victims. I was able to determine, at least I believe, that there were tons of completely unnecessary redactions, in addition to the failure to redact the names of victims,"

Unredacted files at the Department of Justice contain redactions of at least six names whose inclusion suggests likely incrimination. The redacted individuals include a US citizen, a high-ranking foreign government official, a foreign national, and several others of unclear nationality. The Epstein Files Transparency Act compelled public release of a large document trove related to Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution, served 13 months, and died in custody in 2019 while awaiting a sex‑trafficking trial. Some lawmakers viewing the files accused the Department of Justice of unnecessary or mysterious redactions; permitted redactions are mostly for victim protection.

Read at www.theguardian.com