By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
The fight over the Epstein files reached a boiling point today as Congress moves to force their release, but the real story has already unfolded behind closed doors. The documents were scrubbed long before lawmakers ever approached the floor. What should have been a moment of transparency has become a demonstration of how political power shields itself while the public is told to wait.
“Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it,” Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, stated. He added that “Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files,” and he said the American people want the truth.
According to Bloomberg News, Donald Trump’s name appears throughout the Epstein materials. What has not been widely reported is that an FBI FOIA review team blacked out Trump’s name and the names of other high-profile figures. Three people familiar with the review process said the redactions were completed before the Justice Department and FBI declared that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.
“The only reason the House is voting today is because the Trump administration is refusing to comply with a subpoena,” Rep. Kelly Morrison of Minnesota, a Democrat, stated. She said the president and his administration “are legally required to release the files to Congress,” and she added that leaders have “been complicit in covering up the horrific abuses of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.” She ended by saying, “Today we will say no more.”
Inside the FBI, the work stretched across two facilities in Winchester, Virginia. Director Kash Patel ordered agents from the New York and Washington field offices to join FOIA employees and review every Epstein-related document. Nearly one thousand staff worked through the night to process grand jury testimony, prosecutors’ materials, and decades of investigative files.
Not everyone agreed with how the review unfolded. Michael Seidel, section chief of the Record and Information Dissemination Section, objected to the directives. Patel blamed him for delays in getting records to Special Counsel Pam Bondi. Seidel was told he could retire or be fired. He chose to retire.
“President Trump has the power to release the files today,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, a Democrat, stated. He said millions of survivors of sexual abuse are watching to see whether leaders in the United States will confront powerful abusers. He added that survivors believe answers “can be found in the bank records of abusers,” and he warned financial institutions that “if they are hiding records, then we will be coming after them.”
According to Bloomberg News, the FOIA team used privacy exemptions to justify blacking out Trump’s name and others. Because Trump was a private citizen when the Epstein investigation began in 2006, his name was withheld under rules meant to shield private individuals from embarrassment.
“We have a little more work ahead of us, but my hope is Leader Thune will do the right thing,” Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat, stated, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, the top Republican in the chamber.
Fractures are appearing even inside Trump’s own party. “Trump called me a traitor for supporting Epstein survivors,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Republican, stated. She accused the president of tearing apart his own movement by refusing to release the files.
The survivors themselves delivered the sharpest message. “We are launching a political movement to expose the systems that protected predators for far too long,” survivor Lisa Phillips stated. Wendy, another survivor, said she and others never asked to be pushed into political warfare and added, “Standing on the right side of history is not a comfortable place to be.” Sky Roberts, the brother of Virginia Giuffre, cried as he said Epstein trafficked his sister to a network of rich and powerful people. He said his sister made a “monumental impact” by speaking out.
The names inside the Epstein files belong to some of the most powerful figures in the world. Their presence does not prove criminal conduct. It reveals proximity. And proximity is exactly what many have tried to deny for years.
“Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth,” Schumer stated.
