'Jammed by their own incompetence': DOJ may not be able to scrub Trump from Epstein files

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about Javelin anti-tank missiles next to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi during a press conference about deploying federal law enforcement agents in Washington to bolster the local police presence, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House, in Washington D.C., U.S., August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about Javelin anti-tank missiles next to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi during a press conference about deploying federal law enforcement agents in Washington to bolster the local police presence, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House, in Washington D.C., U.S., August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Carl Gibson
November 18, 2025 | 07:54PM ETPush Notification

President Donald Trump appears likely to sign the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act into law this week, which would compel the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all remaining evidence pertaining to deceased child predator Jeffrey Epstein that has yet to be made public.

However, Epstein's brother, Mark, recently said that a "pretty good source" told him the DOJ is "sanitizing" the Epstein files ahead of their likely release in order to downplay implications for Republicans. But one veteran journalist is arguing that even if Attorney General Pam Bondi attempts to release doctored documents, the effort could still backfire and make the administration's Epstein problem even worse.

"I get the concerns that AG Bondi and FBI Director Patel may try to scrub all Trump references and images in the Epstein files before they are released," former CNN, Fox News and NBC journalist David Shuster wrote Tuesday on his official X account. "Well, there are nearly 1,000 FBI/DOJ staff who looked at the files in March with no compartmentalizing, limits, or controls."

As Shuster pointed out, Bondi ordered DOJ staff to comb through approximately 100,000 pages of documents pertaining to Epstein's two federal investigations in 2006 and 2019 earlier this year. The New York Times reported that between February and April, DOJ staff pored through the evidence four times.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (who was Trump's former personal lawyer) explicitly told attorneys to flag any mention of Trump in the files. Shuster argued that one of the many DOJ staffers working on the case would likely report any noticeable changes to lawmakers and undermine any attempt by the administration to shield high-profile figures from accountability.

"Bondi and Patel will be jammed by their own incompetence," Shuster wrote. "Because if the AG and FBI director try to scrub Trump references now, there will be more than a few FBI/DOJ whistleblowers who will notice the removals and alert Congress. Check mate."

The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed the House overwhelmingly on Tuesday by a vote of 427-1, with Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) being the only "no" vote. Capitol Hill journalist Jamie Dupree reported that the House is expected to walk the legislation to the Senate on Wednesday, where it is expected to pass.