The House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein released another batch of documents as part of the so-called “Epstein Files”—but journalists were quick to notice the similarities between the latest dump and past disclosures.
“I reviewed some of the 33,000 pages last night. Of note is how many of those pages are simply DUPLICATES of the same (old) reports—page after page, in order to make it APPEAR that this is a big document dump,” wrote Julie K. Brown, a Miami Herald journalist and author of a book on Epstein, on X. “This tactic is a recurring effort to deceive the public.”
The House Oversight Committee had obtained the files from the Justice Department in response to a subpoena by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky. The Trump administration has been under fire for its lack of transparency on the infamous sex offender’s case, and for the president’s open disdain for those still pursuing justice.
Much of the latest batch of documents is comprised of old and already-released information: public fillings in Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal cases, the transcript of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Maxwell that was released in August, and video from inside the prison where Epstein died, according to NBC.
Meanwhile, victims of Epstein and Maxwell are demanding that the administration stand on the side of survivors and release the rest of the files.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Marina Lacerda spoke publicly for the first time about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Epstein for three years, which she said started when she was 14 years old. But she said that trauma has clouded her memory of the events, causing “so much fear and so much confusion.”
“My therapist says that my brain is just trying to protect itself, but it’s so hard to begin to heal knowing that there are people out there who know more about my abuse than I do,” Lacerda said.
“The worst part is that the government is still in possession right now … of the documents and information about, that could help me remember and get over all of this maybe, and help me heal. They have documents with my name on them that were confiscated from Jeffrey Epstein’s house,” she said. “But I don’t have any of it.”
Until the public gets full transparency on Epstein—and the powerful people in his orbit who abused women and children, and those who were and are complicit in keeping his secrets—survivors like Lacerda cannot find peace. Showy binders and duplicate documents simply won’t cut it.
The post MAGA Republicans Pull Ultra Shady Move with Epstein File Dump appeared first on New Republic.
