Rep. Mace Accuses DOJ of Hiding Names in Epstein Files Release

Rep. Nancy Mace accused the Department of Justice of excluding names from the Epstein files after the agency sent a six-page letter to Congress declaring its document release complete, according to The Hill.¹

“They’re missing names on the list disclosed this evening,” the South Carolina Republican wrote on social media late Saturday, adding: “Despite the memo released by DOJ last night, not all the Epstein files have been released. This isn’t going away until people go to jail.”¹

The DOJ Letter

The Department of Justice on Feb. 15 sent Congress a list of “politically exposed persons” drawn from the millions of files released in connection with its investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The letter included the names of more than 300 prominent figures who appear in the files, regardless of context, and did not specify the degree to which individuals were linked to or in contact with Epstein.²

The department cited work product privilege, deliberative process privilege and attorney-client privilege as justifications for its redactions.¹

What Mace Cited

Mace, one of four Republicans who signed the initial discharge petition that brought the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the House floor, challenged the DOJ’s legal basis for withholding material. She argued that federal agencies “have already waived privileges with the information they’ve already disclosed redacted and unredacted” and that if there is no active investigation or prosecution, the DOJ cannot continue to cite those privileges.¹

In a pointed disclosure, Mace said she had identified an internal FBI email from March 17, 2025, in which agents requested “clear and specific guidance” on redacting photographs depicting “former U.S. Presidents, Secretary of State, and other celebrities” from the Epstein files.¹

During a Feb. 12 appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Mace said: “You would be shocked, Piers, at some of the names that I have seen that came across the DOJ in emails that the DOJ is protecting. We’re talking about famous people, rich people, people in power, prime ministers, former prime ministers, former presidents, et cetera, media personalities.”⁶

Mace also demanded the DOJ explain why documents were removed from its public website after the initial Jan. 30 release. Public reporting indicated some files were pulled because improper redactions had exposed victims’ identities and sexually explicit photographs, while other documents appeared to have been removed and never restored.⁷

Bipartisan Criticism

Mace’s accusations added to a growing bipartisan backlash against the DOJ’s handling of the files. Rep. Thomas Massie has repeatedly challenged Attorney General Pam Bondi over redactions and declared publicly that he was “not suicidal” as pressure mounted.²³ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the administration’s approach a “political miscalculation.”⁴

Rep. Ro Khanna, a co-author of the transparency law, said the DOJ was “purposefully muddying the waters on who was a predator and who was mentioned in an email” by releasing the broad 300-name list without context.⁵

Transparency Act Implementation

Congress passed the Epstein Transparency Act requiring federal agencies to review and release documents related to Epstein’s criminal activities and associations. The FBI began its review after the law took effect, and the DOJ released its first batch of files on Jan. 30.

Multiple document batches have been released, naming hundreds of individuals who had contact with Epstein. Courts have also released separate batches of Epstein-related materials. The department has come under sustained criticism from Epstein victims and members of Congress over inconsistent redactions of names and details in the millions of released pages.²

References

1. Mace slams DOJ over letter about completing Epstein files release: ‘They’re missing names’ - The Hill
2. Justice Department lists hundreds of prominent people named in Epstein files in letter to Congress - CNN
3. Massie Declares ‘Not Suicidal’ as Epstein Files Pressure Mounts
4. Greene Blasts Trump’s Epstein File Handling
5. Khanna Demands Names After Major Epstein Associate Steps Down
6. Nancy Mace on unredacted names in Epstein files: ‘You would be shocked’ - The Hill
7. Rep. Mace Demands Unredacted Epstein Co-Conspirator Files