Rep. Ayanna Pressley Accuses Trump Administration of ‘Brazen Cover Up’ over Redacted Epstein Files

Boston, MA - April 5: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley speaks during Mayor Michelle Wu's re-elect
Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) accused the Trump administration of a “brazen cover up” after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released documents relating to deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, some of them redacted.

In a post on X, Pressley shared a photo of a fully redacted page. In her post, Pressley called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to “release ALL the files NOW.” The DOJ’s release of documents and photos pertaining to Epstein comes after the House and Senate voted to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November.

“Trump thinks complying with the law means releasing entirely redacted Epstein files like this,” Pressley said in her post. “This is a brazen cover up and deeply disrespectful to survivors. Pam Bondi must release ALL the files NOW.”

Axios reported that “several pages and audio files within the release files are redacted,” which “include the names of Epstein’s survivors”:

Several pages and audio files within the release files are redacted.

• Some of those pages include the names of Epstein’s survivors, including an entirely blacked out document labelled “Masseuse List.”

• The DOJ asked the public to help identify any information that should remain redacted, per AP.

The DOJ is also allowed to “redact files for ‘national security'” purposes, according to the outlet.

Former President Bill Clinton appeared in several photos in the newly released Epstein files.

In one photo, Clinton is seen sitting in a hot tub with a redacted person. In another photo, Clinton is seen in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former assistant, and a redacted person.

Clinton’s press secretary issued a statement regarding the release of the newly released files and accused the Trump administration of trying to shield “themselves from what comes next.”

“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” Clinton’s press secretary said in a statement shared by journalist Yashar Ali. “This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be. Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton.”

Other people who appeared in the newly released Epstein files included the Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, the late pop superstar Michael Jackson, and Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, according to NBC News.

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