Jeffrey Epstein-themed ‘Walk of Shame’ art exhibit pops up in Washington DC
A Jeffrey Epstein-themed “walk of shame” has sprung up in Washington, D.C., featuring stars linking to public records that have published the names of people with ties to Epstein.
The Justice Department announced this week that it would restore nearly 50,000 documents to the public Epstein files. The files came under scrutiny because they had previously been published and posted online by federal authorities, but were removed without notice after news organizations flagged them for exposing sensitive content.
The ministry confirmed that some files exposed sensitive content. These are not permanently deleted and will be edited and reposted.
“The Department has not removed any files from the library. In accordance with the (Epstein File Transparency Act), our teams are working around the clock to address victims’ concerns and redact any personally identifying information or images of a sexual nature,” the department said in a March 5 statement to USA TODAY.
The Epstein File Transparency Act required the Justice Department to release all investigative files it kept related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who has been accused of sexually assaulting more than 1,000 women and girls. He died by suicide in custody while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The department has released about 3 million of the 6 million pages in its collection and has steadfastly resisted demands from Congress to release the remaining pages.
As of March 2, 47,635 files have been removed from the site for further investigation. The ministry said it is expected to be published by the end of the week.
“All corresponding documents will be reposted online after appropriate redactions have been made,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
The missing files came into focus after multiple media outlets reported that files related to allegations against President Donald Trump had been removed from websites. NPR reported in late February that the Justice Department had withheld some of Epstein’s files related to allegations that Trump sexually abused minors. NPR’s investigation also found that some documents in public databases that also mentioned Trump in the accusations against Jeffrey Epstein had been deleted.
CBS News reported on March 3 that an analysis found the department had deleted more than 47,000 files, totaling about 65,500 pages.
