James Comer’s Report Says Epstein Records Exposed Survivors’ Private Information

A House Oversight report says mistakes in the government’s release of Jeffrey Epstein-related records revealed sensitive information about survivors, raising fresh concerns about whether officials protected the people the disclosures were meant to help. The Republican-majority committee released its findings on November 10 after a 15-month investigation that included interviews, depositions and a review of financial and government records. Its staff said the Justice Department did not communicate adequately about releases under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and failed to ensure survivors’ information was consistently protected. The report calls for survivors to be able to access their own unredacted records. Committee chairman James Comer described the problems as part of a long-running failure to safeguard people harmed by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. “The federal government has failed the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes for decades,” he said. The report follows complaints from survivors and their lawyers about names and other identifying details appearing in public documents. After a January release, attorneys representing hundreds of survivors told ABC News that victims’ names and personal information had been published without redactions. Some of the women had not previously been publicly connected to the Epstein case. The disclosures had consequences beyond unwanted identification. The Associated Press reported in February that one woman said she received death threats after dozens of entries revealed private banking information. She said she tried to close cards and accounts in response. The Justice Department previously said it worked with victims and their attorneys on necessary redactions, and its disclosures page says officials reviewed records to remove personal information. But accounts from survivors and their lawyers indicated that the safeguards did not always work. After lawyers alerted a judge to redaction failures, the department said it withdrew several thousand documents and media items. A later Reuters investigation also documented harassment following the disclosures. The new report renews questions about how records intended to increase transparency could expose survivors to further risk.