The lawyer representing 11 survivors of trafficker Jeffrey Epstein said that the Justice Department has more documents that they have not released.
At a press conference on Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the 3.5 million files released were all the department had. He now believes that the DOJ has completed its review of the Epstein files.
CNN host Boris Sanchez asked lawyer Arick Fudali if the release was, indeed, "everything DOJ has in itspossession."
"Absolutely not. No, it's noteverything," Fudali answered. "And even what hasbeen produced still hasredactions. You know, there aresome very alarming statementsfrom the Department of Justice today discussing what they've withheld and what they've redacted."
The lawyer said the "most alarming" was that Blanche cited redacted information, saying it was covered by "attorney-client privilege" and "ongoing investigations." Those documents were left out of the release.
As AlterNet reported earlier this week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Rovner, out of the Southern District of New York, refused to answer questions about whether there was still an "active investigation" going on with the Epstein files. She tried to claim that a possible appeal of the conviction of Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was one reason for withholding information. The judge mocked the comment.
When Blanche was asked about an open investigation directly by reporters on Friday, he tap-danced around it, refusing to confirm whether there was one. He then said he wouldn't confirm either way.
"The problem with that is there's no oversight," said Fudali. "We just have to trust that everything they're withholding is, in fact, attorney-client privilege. And attorney-client privilege is very nuanced and very difficult, especially when you're dealing with prosecutors who technically don't really have clients other than the government. So again, it's very convoluted."
He also said that the DOJ could claim "anything is an ongoing investigation" in an effort to withhold information.
"That's what's so frustrating and so alarming about this," Fudali complained. "And that's why the congressmen have requested some of the federal judges in New York, who have overseen the Epstein cases, to appoint a special overseer to oversee this production and make sure that it's being done in compliance with the law."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said there are more than 6 million files, and he doesn't understand why the Justice Department said it has 3.5 million and claimed that was all the office had.
“Failing to release these files only shields the powerful individuals who were involved and hurts the public’s trust in our institutions,” he wrote in a statement released Friday, CNN reported.
Fudali said they're filing briefs with the judges to ask, once again, for some kind of oversight of the DOJ's process for releasing the documents.
Another discovery is that many of the survivors' names are included in the release, despite the DOJ's claims that it had been working to redact everything for months.
"It'sreally concerning. And really, what's so baffling about this is on one hand it's a cover-up, but on the other hand it's incompetence," said Fudali. "So you havethis combination, this sort oflike, perfect storm of trying tocover up what they don't wantpeople to see. But thenaccidentally covering up whatthey shouldn't allow people tosee, or accidentally showingwhat people — what they shouldn'tsee. I mean, this is just, Idon't know if I've ever seenin the history of this Epstein case or really anythingsuch sheer incompetence and suchan obvious and robust effort tocover things up and not andwithhold things from thepublic."
One example he cited was a full driver's license from a survivor.
"I mean, it'sjust it's incomprehensible.It's incomprehensible how poor ajob, how this has been handled," the lawyer said.
He went on to say that he doesn't believe what Blanche said when he claimed the White House had no oversight, purview or influence in the process of the release.