Both of the victims remained anonymous in their writings sent on Monday, with one calling the latest handling of the so-called Epstein Files “political warfare”.
“Dear United States, I wish you would have handled and would handle the whole ‘Epstein Files’ with more respect towards and for the victims. I am not some pawn in your political warfare. What you have done and continue to do is eating at me day after day as you help to perpetuate this story indefinitely,” one of the victims wrote.
Another victim argued that priority has only been on protecting “wealthy men.”
“(I) feel like the DOJ’s and FBI’s priority is protecting the “third-party”, the wealthy men by focusing on scrubbing their names off the files of which the victims, “know who they are,'” one of the victims wrote.
While neither letter outwardly requests federal Judge Richard Berman in New York to keep the transcripts under seal, both strongly urge him to take all necessary precautions in concealing victims’ identities.
One of the victims suggested that a third party review the release of the documents to ensure that no information related to the victims is revealed. The other victim told the judge that it is an “upmost priority” for any information regarding identify of the victims be redacted.
Both emotional letters submitted to the judge showed clear frustration towards the administration’s handling of the files.
“I appreciate your time reading my short thoughts and feeling and my anxiety and frustration is NOT aimed at you, obviously. It is aimed at the very government here, the ones asking to release these transcripts, exhibits, etc., of which the victims are not privy to while they have concluded that there is nothing more to see on the files they hold. Yet no one has seen them, but them,” one of the letters read. “I am beside myself.”
Victims in the case were asked to respond to the government’s request to release grand jury transcripts by August 5.
The Epstein files have become a mounting problem for the Trump administration as the demand for them to be released has only increased over the past few months.
Both the Justice Department and the FBI have struggled for months on how to release material related to the Epstein investigation. The documents require heavy redaction in order to protect victims and witnesses that were involved in the probe.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi promoted the release of the documents, giving out information in binders to right-wing media influencers at the White House. Those influencers criticised the information, saying that much of it was old news.
After two months of promising to release more information, the administration turned quiet. CNN recently reported that in May, Bondi had briefed Trump on the files and that his name appeared several times.
On July 7, the Justice Department released an unsigned memo about the files saying that it does not plan to release more information. The letter also said that there was no “client list.”
Trump has continued to experience backlash from members of Congress, his political base and the public on the lack of transparency.
The Justice Department asked the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to unseal grand jury transcripts in the investigation on July 18. The department also asked a judge in the Southern District of Florida to release grand jury transcripts, but the request was swiftly denied.
The judge overseeing the Justice Department’s request for the unsealing of grand jury transcripts has asked the government additional questions to answer by Tuesday as to why he should grant their request.
