In a dramatic turn of events on Capitol Hill, a California lawmaker read aloud six names in Congress that he alleged were “wealthy, powerful men” implicated in the explosive Epstein files. However, it turned out that four of these individuals were merely everyday citizens who had no connection whatsoever to the deceased financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who serves Silicon Valley, faced criticism from the Department of Justice after he publicly disclosed the names of these four men. They had been inadvertently caught up in an FBI photo lineup years prior. His actions were met with scrutiny, as the implication of these men was unfounded.
Joining Khanna in this pursuit was Republican Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky. Massie was quick to point fingers, suggesting that among the numerous files, they had identified six men whose redacted names appeared suspiciously linked to the case. “There are millions of files, right? In just a few hours, we found six men whose names have been redacted, who are implicated in the way that the files are presented,” Massie remarked.
However, a spokesperson for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized both lawmakers, clarifying that the men revealed in their actions were merely part of an FBI lineup from years back, having no association with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. “Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie forced the unmasking of completely random people selected years ago for an FBI lineup — men and women. These individuals have NOTHING to do with Epstein or Maxwell,” the spokesperson stated, condemning the oversight.
One of the individuals, Salvatore Nuarte from Queens, New York, discovered his unintentional involvement only after being informed by the Guardian. Shocked and seeking answers, Nuarte contacted Khanna’s office, which subsequently shifted the blame to the Department of Justice. “I don’t know if they know what they are doing over there at the justice department,” Nuarte expressed to the newspaper. “How can I clear my name?”
“I don’t know if they know what they are doing over there at the justice department,” Nuarte fumed to the newspaper. “How can I clear my name?”
Another man who was named by the pols is IT manager Leonid Leonov, whose name was misspelled in the files as “Leonic.” Leonov was equally hopping mad about the situation.
“I don’t even have a second or third degree connection to him. Never worked for him, nothing,” he told the Guardian.
Both men acknowledged past NYPD arrests for unrelated matters.
Two of Khanna’s six names do check out. Emirati billionaire Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who appears in the files a jaw-dropping 4,700 times per the DoJ has already paid the price, resigning as CEO of logistics giant DP World after Epstein was revealed to have written that he “loved the torture video” in an email to the tycoon.
Retail mogul Leslie Wexner, referenced nearly 200 times in the files per the DoJ, has maintained his lawyers told him back in 2019 that he was viewed only as a source of information — not a target.
“The assistant US attorney told Mr Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr Wexner was being viewed as source of information about Epstein and was not a target in any respect. Mr Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again,” a legal rep told the outlet.
After being called out on the major mistake, Khanna blamed the DoJ again in an X post.
“I wish DOJ had provided that explanation earlier instead of redacting then unredacting their names. They have failed to protect survivors, created confusion for innocent men, and have protected rich and powerful abusers,” the lawmaker wrote.
