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The Justice Department was thrown into crisis Thursday after a senior official was secretly recorded admitting that the agency’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files would be manipulated to shield Republicans while exposing Democrats.

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The explosive video, released by James O’Keefe’s O’Keefe Media Group, shows Acting Deputy Chief of Special Operations Joseph Schnitt telling a woman he met on the dating app Hinge that the DOJ’s plan was to “redact every Republican or conservative person in those files, [and] leave all the liberal, Democratic people in those files, and have a very slanted version of it come out.”

BREAKING: DOJ Deputy Chief Admits Government Will “Redact Every Republican” While “Leav[ing] All the Liberal, Democratic People” on the Epstein Client List; Says Ghislaine Maxwell Was Moved to a Lower-Security Prison As “A Benefit… to Keep Her Mouth Shut”

“She [Maxwell] got… pic.twitter.com/QzSEdxnBqR

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) September 4, 2025

The Sting Operation

Unbeknownst to Schnitt, his date was an undercover journalist. Identifying herself as “Skylar,” an au pair living in Georgetown, she met with the DOJ official twice in August and recorded his remarks. Schnitt also alleged that Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell had been transferred to a lower-security prison against Bureau of Prisons policy “to keep her mouth shut”DOJ Posts Embarrassing Apology.

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DOJ’s Embarrassing Response

The leak forced the Department of Justice into full damage-control mode. Officials first issued a formal statement claiming Schnitt’s comments “have absolutely zero bearing with reality and reflect a total lack of knowledge of the DOJ’s review process.”

But in a bizarre twist, the DOJ’s official X account then posted an unedited iPhone screenshot of an internal email from Schnitt to his superior, acknowledging he had been duped in a “honeypot trap” and insisting his remarks were personal opinions “based on what I’ve learned in the media and not from anything I’ve done at or via work.”

https://t.co/N5BGMBZRTe pic.twitter.com/CFIly8IoHV

— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) September 4, 2025

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Another DOJ spokesperson doubled down, writing: “The DOJ is committed to transparency and is in compliance with the House Oversight Committee’s request for documents.”DOJ Posts Embarrassing Apology …

Political Fallout

The revelations have intensified existing tensions inside the Department. Schnitt referenced ongoing conflicts between Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, with Bongino reportedly pressing for full release of the Epstein materials while Bondi sought to align with Trump’s position.

The controversy comes as survivors of Epstein’s abuse and their advocates continue to demand the release of the full client list and related files. Earlier this week, House Republicans released 33,000 DOJ documents on Epstein, though most were already public, fueling accusations of a cover-upDOJ Posts Embarrassing Apology ….

With Schnitt’s words now public and the DOJ scrambling to explain, questions remain about whether the department is truly prepared to deliver the transparency it has long promised — or whether the Epstein files will be filtered through a political lens.

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