A senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official told an undercover reporter that the department would redact any released Epstein files to remove the names of Republicans.
Joseph Schnitt, the acting Deputy Chief of the Office of Enforcement Operations, was secretly filmed on what he believed was a Hinge date.
His date was in fact an undercover operative working for the far-right O'Keefe Media Group (OMG).
Highlights
- DOJ official Joseph Schnitt claimed the Epstein files will redact Republican names but leave Democratic names visible, per a hidden camera video.
- The DOJ denies Schnitt's remarks, stating he has no knowledge of the Epstein files and his comments reflect personal opinion, not official policy.
- Schnitt alleged Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a low-security prison as a ‘benefit’ to keep her silent about Epstein-related matters.
- The DOJ released over 33,000 Epstein-related documents, but most are already public; new info mainly includes flight logs from 2000-2014.
- Survivors of Epstein’s abuse plan to compile their own client list, asserting the DOJ and FBI's claim of no client list is false.
Joseph Schnitt was secretly filmed discussing the Epstein files
Image credits: James O'Keefe
“If they’re [the Epstein files] released in any way, it’s going to be very redacted,” Schnitt said in the video, published on X by James O’Keefe.
“They’ll redact every Republican or conservative person in those files, leave all the liberal, Democratic people in those files.”
The DOJ says Schnitt has no knowledge of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and that his opinion was based on media reports.
In a letter to his superior, published online by the DOJ, Schnitt said he had gone on two dates in August with the undercover reporter, whom he believed to be an au pair called Skylar.
He said that his dating app profile mentioned he worked for the government, but did not specify which department, and he said he did not discuss his work at the DOJ.
“The comments I made were my own personal comments on what l’ve learned in the media and not from anything I’ve done at or learned via work,” Schnitt wrote.
“I have no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Ms. Maxwell other than what is reported in the news.”
“I recall she asked if I had any knowledge about Maxwell and I specifically said I only know what’s been reported in the media,” he added.
In a separate statement, the department’s Office of Public Affairs said the comments “have absolutely zero bearing with reality and reflect a total lack of knowledge of the DOJ’s review process.”
“The DOJ is committed to transparency and is in compliance with the House Oversight Committee’s request for documents,” it added.
In the video, Schnitt also commented on Epstein's accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell being transferred to a minimum security prison branded ‘Club Fed.’
Maxwell was moved to the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Texas last month, which typically houses inmates convicted of white‑collar crimes and minor offenses.
The Trump administration continues to face backlash over the Epstein files
“She got transferred to a minimum-security prison too recently, which is against FOB [Federal Bureau of Prisons] policy because she’s a convicted sex offender,” he said.
“They’re offering her something to keep her mouth shut,” Schnitt added.
O'Keefe is the founder of Project Veritas, known for undercover recordings that typically target Democrats or left-leaning organizations.
The organization is reportedly known for using entrapment and deceptively editing videos it publishes.
O'Keefe was removed as the group’s leader in 2023, with the board citing staff mistreatment, among other issues. He launched OMG later that year.
The video comes amid continued scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The House Oversight Committee this week published over 33,000 files, including documents and video, related to Epstein after the DOJ was subpoenaed.
But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said most of the information included was already in the public domain.
Democrat Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, said 97% of the documents were already in the public domain.
Less than 1,000 pages detailing flight logs of Epstein’s plane between 2000 and 2014 were the only new files, he added.
A bipartisan petition, co-led by GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, is underway to force a release of the Epstein files.
Image credits: Kypros/Getty Images
The petition has the support of three other Republicans so far, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, and needs two more to join in order to pass.
In a push for more GOP members to support the petition, Massie and Khanna held a press conference with survivors of Epstein’s abuse on Capitol Hill on September 3.
During the conference, briefly drowned out by a fighter jet flyover Donald Trump had organized, Lisa Phillips said survivors were creating their own client list.
Survivors said they will compile their own Epstein client list
Image credits: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The initiative comes after the DOJ and FBI concluded that Epstein did not have a client list and died by suicide in jail in 2019.
“We know the names. Many of us were abused by them,” Phillips said.
“Now together, as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names we all know, who were regularly in the Epstein world. It will be done by survivors and for survivors.”