CNN reports that FBI agents are being diverted from national security probes to expedite the redaction of Epstein-related files before their release.
The FBI is reportedly in a “frenzied” rush to redact documents pertaining to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation before they are made public, according to a CNN report on Saturday.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that agents are “working around the clock” and even pausing other investigations to process these files.
CNN stated that every FBI division, including those dealing with criminal and national security matters, has been directed to provide agents for this task. Agents have been instructed to set aside ongoing investigations, including those concerning alleged threats from China and Iran, to assist with the redaction process, according to CNN’s sources.
The redactions have been underway for “much of the week” at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as offices in New York and Chantilly, Virginia, the report indicated. Agents are said to be spending considerable time redacting both text files and videos.
The report noted that the redactions are legally required. The Justice Department (DOJ) assured CNN in a statement that it is committed to “deliver unprecedented transparency for the American people.”
Shortly after assuming office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order mandating the release of the Epstein files, along with classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
In late February, the DOJ released what it termed ‘The Epstein Files: Phase 1.’ These documents were heavily redacted and primarily contained previously known information. Attorney General Pam Bondi then accused the FBI of withholding “thousands of pages” of documents related to the investigation.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who heads Trump’s newly formed declassification task force, also criticized the initial release. She wrote on X at the time, “Get us the information we asked for instead of leaking old info to press.”
The Epstein case has garnered significant attention due to the late financier’s extensive network of prominent associates, including former President Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, billionaire Bill Gates, and numerous other celebrities and business leaders.
Trump also knew Epstein but has denied ever visiting his private island, asserting that he severed ties with him in the 1990s – years before Epstein’s initial arrest for soliciting prostitution in 2006.
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