CNN anchor Erin Burnett delivered a blistering rebuke of the Trump Justice Department Monday night after new details emerged that the DOJ failed to redact the name of at least one Epstein survivor in the newly released files – a lapse she said flatly contradicts the department’s own justification for delaying the release in the first place.
“CNN learning the Justice Department did not protect the identity of some Epstein survivors,” Burnett said during the opening minutes of her show, “OutFront.” One survivor, who has chosen to identify herself publicly only as Jane Doe, told CNN her full name appeared multiple times in the document and remained unredacted even after she alerted the DOJ over the weekend.
“That goes directly against the DOJ’s reason for taking so long to release the documents,” Burnett said. “Where are the rest of the files? And why is it really taking so long?”
Burnett called the latest turn in the Epstein release saga a “huge oversight on the DOJ's part” and did not mince words. “It’s unacceptable, and it's dangerous,” she said.
The Justice Department has repeatedly claimed it delayed releasing the Epstein files to protect victims’ identities. Burnett went on to play a DOJ statement claiming that victim protection was central to the process – then ripped the department for its failure.
“Obviously that doesn’t add up,” the primetime anchor said, pointing out for viewers that the survivor personally contacted the DOJ to demand her name be redacted – which Burnett said, as of her Monday night broadcast, still hasn’t happened.
“That’s what’s unacceptable,” she added. She also noted that while the woman’s name remains unredacted, “men who are accused of rape – that is redacted. That doesn’t add up.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the House Oversight Committee, told Burnett the episode was “shameful” and “infuriating.”
"It is really incredible,” Burnett concluded.
