A federal judge has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to either unredact and release more records related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or provide a detailed explanation for why the redactions remain necessary.
The order comes amid heightened scrutiny over the U.S. government’s handling of millions of pages of investigative files related to the disgraced financier who was found dead in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his sex-trafficking trial.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s order issued Thursday directs acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to justify the department’s continued withholding of portions of the records after lawmakers and victims’ advocates questioned whether some redactions exceed what is legally permitted.
Ostensibly yes, but what do you actually expect to happen if a judge orders the marshalls to take leadership at the DoJ into custody? The mission of the Marshall service may be to provide enforcement to the Judiciary, but they are part of the DoJ and the executive.
They could try. Are you seeing the repubs not doing things because “they wont work”? Do it anyway, cause a problem, muck up the works.
I agree that they could, and should, try. I just think that the reason they don’t is because they know that it would be unsuccessful.
Turnabout is fair play. Break norms and force their hand.