The Trump administration has been accused of “purposefully muddying the waters” after releasing a list of hundreds of names mentioned in the Epstein files.
A six-page letter sent to Congress by Attorney General Pam Bondi over the weekend included a list of high-ranking politicians, including the likes of President Donald Trump, Barack Obama and former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Also named was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose royal and military titles were removed in light of his links to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and Peter Mandelson, who recently quit the Labour Party and resigned from the House of Lords following more revelations about his relationship with Epstein.
The list also included celebrities including Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, George Clooney, Beyonce, Cher and Janis Joplin.
Both Andrew and Mr Mandelson have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Being named in the files does not suggest wrongdoing and some of those names featured in the list may not have had any correspondence or interaction with Epstein.
The attorney general claimed the list of names included all those who “are or were a government official or politically exposed person”, as well as people whose name has appeared in the files released under the act at least once.
Epstein survivor says women who recruited her ‘laughed’ as she was sexually assaulted on jet
Los Angeles 2028 Olympics chief to sell talent agency after Maxwell backlash
‘It is all horror’: Survivors’ diaries reveal how Jeffrey Epstein preyed on girls and women
The letter stated the DoJ has released all “records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department” as required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
It added: “No records were withheld or redacted ‘on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary’.”
It comes after more than three million more documents related to disgraced financier Epstein, including email exchanges, more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, were released on 30 January.
Read more:
Survivors’ diaries reveal how Jeffrey Epstein preyed on girls and women
What do the Epstein files say about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?
Democrat Ro Khanna, who wrote the Epstein Files Transparency Act alongside Republican Thomas Massie, criticised the list, saying: “The DOJ is once again purposefully muddying the waters on who was a predator and who was mentioned in an email.
“To have Janis Joplin, who died when Epstein was 17, in the same list as Larry Nassar, who went to prison for the sexual abuse of hundreds of young women and child pornography, with no clarification of how either was mentioned in the files is absurd.
“Release the full files. Stop protecting predators. Redact only the survivor’s names.”
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Mr Massie also criticised the DoJ’s approach to the Epstein files’ release, telling ABC’s This Week On Sunday: “They’re citing deliberative process privilege in order not to release some of the documents.
“The problem with that is the bill that Ro Khanna and I wrote says that they must release internal memos and notes and emails about their decisions on whether to prosecute or not prosecute, whether to investigate or not investigate.”
He added: “I know the DOJ wants to say they’re done with this document production.
“The problem is they’ve taken down documents before we were able to go over to the DOJ and look at the unredacted versions. They took down some of the most significant documents.”
The names of both Mr Khanna and Mr Massie also appeared on the list.
Follow our channel and never miss an update
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in August 2019 shortly after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.
Sky News has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.
