this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2025
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[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 116 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

You didn't really think they were just gonna give over the unredacted Epstein files after they've spent so much time protecting Trump?

They were always gonna weaponize it against their enemies.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 83 points 4 hours ago (4 children)

However, the bill does allow Bondi to redact records in specific instances, including documents that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution."

There it is...

We knew it. We're not stupid (some of us). We'll see how it plays out I guess. No surprise here. They know we know, and how obviously transparent this is.

I think our only hope is if enough MAGA drop their support, which is a lot to fucking hope for.

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 28 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

The entire thing is adb am active investigation so we'll get this, except for democrat names, and just enough context to imply guilt, even if they're just being indirectly referenced.

collapsed inline media

[–] Fermion@mander.xyz 22 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (2 children)

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405/text

The bill is not long and everyone who is tracking this should take the time to read it.

Your concern is valid, but Bondi isn't given completely free reign.

SEC. 3. Report to Congress.

Within 15 days of completion of the release required under Section 2, the Attorney General shall submit to the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary a report listing:

(1) All categories of records released and withheld.

(2) A summary of redactions made, including legal basis.

(3) A list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials, with no redactions permitted under subsection (b)(1).

So if Bondi were to follow the law, the AG's office will have to provide congress a summary and justification for everything that is redacted.

Which isn't to say that I have any faith in the AG's office following these requirements, but it should give us reason to pressure congress into holding Bondi et al. to these requirements and would give them cause for impeachement of Bondi if she does not comply.

[–] Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works 31 points 4 hours ago

if Bondi were to follow the law

There's your problem. This regime has proven time and time again that laws are rules for thee, not me. If the laws help them, their hands are tied. If it hinders them, they just close their eyes and whistle until it goes away.

[–] kmartburrito@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

Yeah but the fix was in long ago when the 1,000 FBI agents or whatever we're removing Trump's name from the files. If his details were already redacted then they can't tie that back to Bondi, right?

This seems so obvious that I must be missing something

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago

There are carve outs to that exception. Names of individuals who are not victims cannot be withheld.

And full summaries of all items withheld must be provided.

It will still likely end up in court.

[–] damnedfurry@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (2 children)

What do you make of this?

Ok I agree it is very suspicious that Congress suddenly got their shit together for this one thing. But people keep doomposting this bill without actually reading it. And it deserves to be read in all the beautiful airtight glory that it is.

Massie and Khanna anticipated every single excuse DOJ normally uses to bury sensitive records, and they wrote the law to shut all of them down. To be clear, the DOJ will still try to hide, but it’s going to fail.

Here’s what the bill actually does:

They can’t hide anything for “embarrassment,” “reputational harm,” or “political sensitivity.”

That’s an explicit statutory ban. No shielding Trump, Clinton, Gates, etc. The law literally forbids it.

The argument of “Everything will suddenly be classified!” doesn’t work either.

The bill forces DOJ to declassify to the maximum extent possible and if anything stays classified, they must publish a public unclassified summary for each redaction.

That’s not optional.

“New investigations” don’t block release.

The “active investigation” exception is temporary, narrow, document-specific, and requires a written public justification in the Federal Register.

You can’t just open a random investigation and hide whole categories of documents under this bill.

The best part? Congress still gets the full list of names.

No matter what gets redacted publicly, DOJ must give Congress an unredacted list of every government official and politically exposed person named in the files. No exceptions. Not for classification. Not for investigations. Not for national security.

And enforcement is real. This is a mandatory “shall release” statute. If DOJ drags its feet, it goes straight to D.C. District Court, which has zero patience for agencies abusing secrecy laws.

This isn’t a symbolic transparency bill. It’s one of the tightest, most loophole-proof disclosure laws Congress has ever passed — which is exactly why all of their objections on the GOP side were never successful or just weak attempts to attack a statute that defines CSAM.

People can be cynical all day, but the text is the text.

And the text is a brick wall against the usual bullshit.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Hopeful. Time will tell.

[–] Applesause@mander.xyz 1 points 1 hour ago

It's slop. Read the bill for yourself to decide what you think of it.

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 48 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Republican ---» redact

Democrat ---» highlight

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 8 points 2 hours ago

Whoa! How'd you get a copy of Bondi's orders already?

[–] pinheadednightmare@lemmy.world 29 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

Pam Bondi is the last person I would want to redact anything. If trump needs to piss, that bitch is there to catch it. I’ve never wanted to punch a woman as much as I want to with her. Fuck Pam Bondi!

[–] darkdemize@sh.itjust.works 11 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Agreed. Although it's a tight competition between her, Leavitt, and Noem over who is the worst MAGAt woman.

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago

Who would have thought there was something at the bottom of the barrel under Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

[–] Jarix@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Really? Anne Coulter comes to mind

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 17 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

They're going to use that equally on Republicans and Democrats, right?

[–] Substance_P@lemmy.world 16 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

By Trump’s thinking and current stance is that the Epstein files are really all full of Democrats, and that’s why we shouldn’t talk about them.

Wait, what?

If they’re full of Democrats, wouldn’t you want everyone screaming about them from the rooftops? The logic doesn’t logic. But that’s where we are.

[–] drzoidberg@lemmy.world 12 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Exactly. If it were full of democrats, they'd have released them day 2 in office. The fact they've fought it, lied about it, claimed it doesn't exist, proves that it's overwhelmingly republican names on that list. To the point where the handful of democrats that are there, are either dead, completely irrelevant, or already held accountable.

[–] Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 hours ago

And if there are democrats in there who haven't been brought to justice, throw the book at them to the highest ability, too. This isn't a popularity contest. We should be holding these people to a higher standard. When they fuck up in ways related to Epstein, they should feel it, party alignment be damned.

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 14 points 4 hours ago

The bill says Bondi can redact parts of the records that "contain personally identifiable information" about victims that would "constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."

Nobody plays the victim better than Republicans. Gonna have to redact all of them.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 hour ago

PSA: When they release heavily redacted files, and you see some Nazi on the internet say "actually technically they did release the files", do not give them the benefit of the doubt.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity - and American fascists are not adequately explained by stupidity. At this point it's simply stupid to believe they're acting in good faith.

[–] Randomocity@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 hours ago

Only the Democrats are under investigation so that should still show all the Republicans, right? (Though any Democrats on the list shouldn't be protected either)

[–] MisterCurtis@lemmy.world 7 points 5 hours ago

Okay, let's get after all of them, then cut some sort of deal to snitch on the redacted ones.

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 hour ago

And it begins.

They didn't release shit.

I'm calling every single person in the government who has access to those files and chooses not to leak then a spineless coward protecting pedophiles.

fuck them all. regardless how they voted.

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

The bill has in the provision that those redactions must be specifically targeted and temporary. Redactions must come with a summary and legal justification.

[–] SparroHawc@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 hours ago

Since when has breaking the rules stopped this administration?

[–] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

The bill said that redactions "must be accompanied with a written justification" to Congress

“There appears to be an R next to the name. REDACTED”

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

So they can open an investigation on everyone they want to protect and give themselves the justification to redact any info in the files. Since nobody sees the unredacted files, nobody can confirm if the info is part of an investigation? I mean this is the kind of shit people with a brain were saying would happen when the division of powers and the files of the branches aren't upheld.

[–] Heikki2@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

"Where are the 30k files?" DJT pitching about Hillary's emails

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 6 minutes ago
[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 1 points 42 minutes ago

Hm, what do they have to hide?