The Department of Justice handed a federal judge the unredacted Epstein records, which could lead to new revelations, per reports.
According to reporting by MeidasTouch News, the Trump DOJ confirmed on Thursday that it handed over unredacted records related to the Epstein files for private review.
The DOJ is turning over the records as it deals with a lawsuit brought by journalist and legal expert Katie Phang, who sued the Trump administration because of how it redacted the files.
According to court documents filed by the DOJ and shared by MeidasTouch News, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed off on the move. The documents submitted by the DOJ show unredacted parts of the Epstein files in an attempt to justify the Trump administration's redactions in the current version of the publicly available files.
In the filing, DOJ argues the unredacted records show its stated justifications support ten redactions that the court flagged. The DOJ wrote that most of the disputed redactions conceal the identities of victims or potential victims, while others protect personal information and the identities of law enforcement personnel and an assistant U.S. attorney.
DOJ also acknowledged an "inadvertent" redaction of Epstein's own email address in one record and has since lifted that redaction.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will review the documents. Sullivan had earlier this month ordered the DOJ to produce documents that support a series of redactions in the Epstein files.
MeidasTouch News noted that the records are being reviewed "in camera," which means privately by a judge instead of being placed on a public docket. The step allows Sullivan himself to examine what the government has redacted and decide whether the DOJ's explanations hold up, MeidasTouch News reported.
Online commentators hailed the move. Journalist Aaron Parnas noted in a post on X that the development is "one step closer to accountability."