Dems in Congress Allege DOJ Spying on their Searches to Remove Epstein Documents
By Camaron Stevenson, Below the Belt(way)
According to Members of Congress, The US Department of Justice appears to be monitoring their searches within the uncensored versions of the Epstein Files made available to them for review, and then subsequently actively redacting those same documents, often removing mentions of President Trump.
Redactions have been added as recently as this week, according to US Rep. Maxine Dexter. Dexter (D-OR) visited DOJ offices on Tuesday with a list of files the House Judiciary Committee had asked her to review. Other committee members had previously accessed the files in their original form, but when Dexter attempted to view them, she found 255 pages of black rectangles.
“Literally, files other Members have seen, that I was supposed to follow-up on, are now gone. Multiple files that have been documented are gone,” said Dexter. “It may be that they’re seeing what we’re finding, and then that brings things to light — we have no idea. All this is is conjecture, but when [the administration’s] making up stories about what’s happening, what is real is that transparency is not the rule of the land.”
Redacted versions of the files Dexter attempted to review — EFTA00006109, EFTA00006209, and EFTA00006309 — have been available to the public since December 2025, and unredacted versions were provided to Congress on February 9. But the feigned transparency was short-lived. Within a few short weeks, the DOJ has severely limited Congress’ access to the files, is apparently monitoring who views what, and now, according to several Members, is swapping out clean documents with redacted ones.
“They give you a discrete login number, which is how they’re tracking us — and that’s a serious problem, to have the executive branch spying on the legislative branch. Then once you get in there, you have to go through a couple different steps to get to the unredacted files,” said US Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT). “But even the versions that we’re seeing, there are still a lot of things that are redacted and we can’t get good, clear answers as to why that is.”
The Trump administration’s apparent attempt to conceal what Congress can see mirrors similar attempts to block the public from accessing the Epstein Files, despite what is mandated by law. A recent investigation by NPR found that the DOJ has been not only removing, but completely withholding, documents from the public database that involve Trump. Most recently, at least 50 pages of interviews conducted by federal agents with a witness who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Trump when she was a minor have been left out of both the public and congressional databases.
Dexter believes the repeated retractions reveal a pattern: someone finds information that seems worthy of investigation, it gets reported on, the story starts to gain traction, then the files are quietly removed. And in almost every instance, it’s had to do with women who claim to have been sexually assaulted by Trump or are proof of his close relationship with Epstein.
“There’s nothing transparent about what’s going on right now,” said Dexter. “It’s continuing to block, and tackle, and shade, and protect men of privilege and men of wealth in this country. And it’s got to stop.”
The ongoing redactions and restricted access to the Epstein Files appear to conflict with both the spirit and the letter of the law, as the Epstein Files Transparency Act permits redactions only to protect national security or victims’ privacy, and requires “a summary of redactions made, including legal basis” be given to Congress.
The DOJ failed to provide a list of redactions to Congress by the January 3 deadline. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was previously Trump’s personal criminal attorney, has thus far failed to fulfill his promise to allow Congress “to view personally any portions of the production in unredacted form.” Instead, the DOJ has focused on surveilling members of Congress, logging what they’ve viewed, and allegedly redacting documents already under congressional review.
Public outcry has worked in demanding transparency, to a certain extent. On Friday, photos of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with Epstein on his island – images that had been deleted from the public database – were re-uploaded, after a report of their disappearance by CBS News sparked outrage. And on Tuesday, US Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) announced plans to file articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi for her refusal to comply with a congressional investigation into Epstein.
“We live in a country where we have one reality for everyday people, and another for the rich and the well-connected and the well-protected. We have to change that,” said Lee. “That’s why earlier today I announced that I’ll be introducing articles of impeachment against Pam Bondi.”
Lee is circulating a public petition of support for Bondi’s impeachment, in coordination with the non-profit Free Speech for People.
Camaron is the National Correspondent for COURIER, where he covers Capitol Hill in his weekly newsletter, Below the Belt(way). He is also the founding editor of COURIER’s Arizona newsroom, The Copper Courier, and previously taught journalism at Arizona State University.
