Victims complain of death threats as government says it's fixing redactions in Epstein-related files

NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department said Monday it had withdrawn respective 1000 documents and “media” related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein aft lawyers complained to a New York justice that the lives of astir 100 victims had been “turned upside down” by sloppy redactions successful the government's latest merchandise of Epstein-related materials.

The section blamed the merchandise of delicate accusation that drew an outcry from victims and their lawyers connected mistakes that were “technical oregon quality error.”

In a missive to the New York judges overseeing the enactment trafficking cases brought against Epstein and confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton wrote that the section had taken down astir each materials identified by victims oregon their lawyers, on with a “substantial number” of documents identified independently by the government.

Clayton, who is based successful Manhattan, said the section has “iteratively revised its protocols for addressing flagging documents” aft victims and their lawyers requested changes to the process for reappraisal and redaction of posted records.

He wrote that documents are promptly pulled down from the nationalist website erstwhile victims emblem a interest that thing should beryllium redacted. He said the interest is past evaluated earlier a redacted mentation of the papers tin beryllium reposted, “ideally wrong 24 to 36 hours.”

Clayton's missive came successful effect to a missive sent Sunday to Judge Richard M. Berman from 2 lawyers for Epstein victims who had sought “immediate judicial intervention” due to the fact that of what they described arsenic thousands of instances erstwhile the authorities had failed to redact names and different personally identifying information.

The justice scheduled a league for Wednesday, saying the lawyers could invitation their clients and that helium understood the interest of the lawyers and the urgency but besides added: “I americium not definite however adjuvant I tin be.”

He besides encouraged the lawyers, Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards, to “continue to resoluteness unfastened issues successful bully faith.”

In their missive to Berman, the lawyers included comments from 8 women, including 1 who wrote that the records' merchandise was “life threatening” and different who said she'd gotten decease threats aft 51 entries included her backstage banking information, forcing her to effort to unopen down her recognition cards and accounts.

After Epstein took his ain beingness successful August 2019, Berman held a proceeding successful Manhattan national tribunal and allowed his accusers to speak. Berman, who presided implicit the enactment trafficking lawsuit against Epstein, enactment the Sunday missive connected the nationalist docket connected Monday.

Also Monday, a conception of the Justice Department’s Epstein files website that had contained nationalist tribunal records from Epstein and Maxwell’s transgression cases and civilian lawsuits was nary longer functioning.

A connection seeking remark connected the website contented was near for the Justice Department.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said successful an interrogation Sunday connected ABC's “This Week” that determination person been sporadic errors successful redacting, oregon blacking out, delicate accusation but that the Justice Department has tried to enactment rapidly to code them.

“Every clip we perceive from a unfortunate oregon their lawyer that they judge that their sanction was not decently redacted, we instantly rectified that. And the numbers we’re talking about, conscionable truthful the American radical understand, we’re talking astir .001 percent of each the materials,” Blanche said.

The effect of errors successful the papers redactions was highlighted Monday greeting astatine a enactment trafficking proceedings successful New York national tribunal erstwhile lawyers for 2 high-end existent property brokers and their member asked Judge Valerie E. Caproni for a mistrial due to the fact that of documents that were made nationalist without indispensable redactions.

Deanna Paul, a defence lawyer astatine the proceedings of Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander, said the “government done its ain behaviour has destroyed the anticipation of a just proceedings successful this case” aft the names of the brothers were included successful respective documents released connected Friday. The brothers person pleaded not blameworthy to drugging and raping aggregate girls and women from 2008 to 2021.

Paul said the Alexander brothers had present been “branded” with the “most toxic association.”

The justice tentatively rejected the mistrial petition but inactive confronted a prosecutor, asking: “Government, really?”

“Yes, I recognize wherever the court's coming from,” replied Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa.

She said she wasn't definite however the documents were “caught up successful the beingness of documents” related to Epstein but confirmed that astatine slightest 1 of the documents that notation the Alexander brothers “should person been decently redacted” and she said the documents had been withdrawn from nationalist circulation.

As she spoke, Espinosa besides gave an update connected the wide merchandise of Epstein-related documents by the Justice Department, saying that the remaining documents to beryllium released were “primarily related to civilian litigation” that mightiness necessitate a judge's support to beryllium made public.

__ The AP is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department successful collaboration with journalists from CBS, NBC, MS NOW and CNBC. Journalists from each newsroom are moving unneurotic to analyse the files and stock accusation astir what is successful them. Each outlet is liable for its ain autarkic quality sum of the documents.

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