The Justice Department has pulled more than 47,000 files—about 65,500 pages—from its public Epstein archive after survivors warned the docs exposed their identities and photos without proper redactions.
CBS News crunched the numbers and found the online stash dropped from roughly 3 million pages to 2.7 million. Try to open the pulled files now and you get a “page not found” error.
The DOJ dropped millions of pages last month under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. But attorneys for nearly 100 victims flagged that some docs showed names, pics, and personal details that should’ve been blacked out.
DOJ spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre claims the CBS analysis is “fundamentally flawed” and insists they “haven’t deleted anything.” She admits 47,000+ files are temporarily offline for review, which basically matches what CBS found.
The takedowns sparked conspiracy theories online about what else might be hidden. One file that vanished then reappeared: a photo of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Epstein’s island. The DOJ says that was just a glitch.
Congress is still demanding answers. Bipartisan lawmakers want to know who else was in Epstein’s circle and why some names stay buried. No new charges have hit anyone from these releases yet.
Survivors’ advocates say protecting victims is crucial but slam the messy rollout. The DOJ promises it’s balancing transparency with legal duties to shield survivors.
The review continues. Files keep flicking on and offline as officials scramble to fix the redactions.
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