US lawmakers accuse justice department of 'inappropriately' redacting Epstein files

US lawmakers have accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of improperly redacting files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Members of Congress reviewed unredacted versions of the approximately three million pages released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) after complaints that the redactions were not in compliance with the law, which was passed last year and signed by President Trump. The DOJ claims it is committed to transparency but has faced criticism for its handling of the files, including accusations that it failed to follow the law's order for FBI information to be unredacted before being sent to the Attorney General's office. Lawmakers have expressed concerns about redactions that they believe could identify potential victims and implicated individuals.