US Representatives Thomas Massey (R‑KY) and Ro Khanna (D‑CA) speak to the media after viewing the unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files at the Department of Justice office building in Washington, DC, US on February 9, 2026. Image Credit: Reuters
US lawmakers began reviewing unredacted files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Monday (Feb. 9, 2026) and expressed concern that some names had been redacted from documents released to the public.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), overwhelmingly passed by Congress in November, forced the Justice Department to release all documents related to Epstein.
This required the redaction of names or personal identifying information about Epstein’s victims, who numbered more than 1,000, according to the FBI.
But it said “no documents shall be withheld, delayed or amended on grounds of embarrassment, damage to reputation or political sensitivity, including those of any government official, public figure or foreign dignitary”.
Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, was among the Democratic and Republican lawmakers who reviewed the unredacted Epstein files at a secure Justice Department location on Monday (February 9, 2026).
“I’ve seen a lot of people’s names redacted for mysterious or baffling or incomprehensible reasons,” Mr. Raskin told reporters.
“There are certainly names of other people who were enablers and collaborators with Jeffrey Epstein that have been blanked out for no apparent reason,” he said.
Representative Thomas Massey, Republican of Kentucky, said he found the names of six men whose identities were redacted from the released documents and who “could be indicted by their inclusion in these files.”
Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, said: “There is no explanation why those people were redistricted.”
They declined to be identified but Massey said one of them was “quite high up in a foreign government” and Mr Khanna said one of the others was “an important person”.
Mr. Massey and Mr. Khanna said many of the redactions in the released files were actually done before the Justice Department received the documents. Those corrections may have been made earlier by the FBI or prosecutors, he said.
“Our law was very clear,” Mr Khanna said. “Unless something is classified, it must remain unfixed.”
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Epstein, who had relationships with top business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics, was found dead in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of underage girls.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend was convicted in 2021 of sex-trafficking underage girls to the financier and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
On Monday (February 9, 2026), Maxwell testified before Congress from prison but declined to answer any questions — saying he would speak if President Donald Trump granted him a pardon.
The Justice Department has said no new prosecutions are expected but several political and business leaders have already been tainted by the scandal or resigned after their relationships with Epstein were revealed in the files.
Mr Trump fought for months to block the release of documents about Epstein’s longtime former friend – but a backlash among Republicans forced him to sign legislation mandating the release of all documents.
The move reflects intense political pressure to address what many Americans, including Mr. Trump’s own supporters, have long suspected of a cover-up to protect wealthy and powerful men in Epstein’s orbit.
Published – February 10, 2026 at 07:27 am IST
