1). “What May Be Held Back From The Epstein Files”, Nov 17, 2025, David Cay Johnston, D.C. Report, at < https://www.dcreport.org/2025/
2). “The Epstein Files: What May Be Held Back, Prof. David Cay Johnston”, Nov 18, 2025, Discussion of the ramifications of the release of the Epstein Files with David Cay Johnston, The Mark Thompson Show, duration of video 32:03, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
~~ recommended by desmond morista ~~
Introduction by desmond morista: What we must remember here is that this is just the beginning of the struggle over actually making public the contents of the so-called Epstein Files. We are in the beginning stages of this; but just for starters the FBI, under orders from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, assigned over 1,000 FBI agents to work for the past two months examining the Epstein Files and “scrubbing them” of any mention of Trump, and in addition to any mention of any Republicans. They were under orders to leave mention of the names of any Democrats in the open.
Bondi, interestingly enough, was Florida Attorney General for several years, including during the period when the outrageous sweetheart deal was given to Jeffrey Epstein by Trump appointed U.S. Attorney Acosta who later became the Secretary of Labor, that allowed him to merely sleep at the jail and TO CONTINUE HIS SEX TRAFFICKING OPERATIONS, during the day out roaming the South Florida area.
While the far-right would have preferred to keep the whole can of worms secret, their fall-back position is to release heavily doctored and redacted files, but that mention prominent Democratic figures who will then be investigated. Then if anybody tries to subpoena records or requests seeking access to some of the massive amounts of video and still photographs, that might have a record of sexual acts involving Donald Trump; they will be met with the standard stonewall of “we cannot release any material because there is ongoing litigation and possible criminal charges”. The ruling cabal thinks that this strategy will keep their “Dear Leader's” secrets safe from prying eyes. At least for long enough for the far-right to consolidate their hold on power.
David Cay Johnston has a long history of exposing the ways that the ruling class here in the U.S. diverts huge amounts of money into their own pockets, using obscure legal maneuvers, and how they frustrate attempts at reform with endless distortions of the law. He also has been investigating Donald Trump and his endless schemes and frauds for over 30 years and has interviewed him numerous times.
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What May Be Held Back From The Epstein Files
Labeling Images Contraband Could Justify Withholding Them
If and when the Trump administration releases the Justice Department’s Epstein files no one should be surprised if there are no photos or videos of grown men raping underage girls even though we have sworn testimony from many of the now adult victims that such images were recorded.
That’s not to say that the images, still or moving, don’t exist, but rather that the Trump Administration may well label them contraband child pornography as a way to withhold evidence.
Federal law makes it a crime to view ‘a visual depiction of an actual minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct;’
This weekend Donald Trump urged House Republicans to vote to release the files, which his adminisration has withheld using excuse after lie after ridiculous claim after baseless posts about a hoax… .
Trump’s big flip-flop came after Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is all in for MAGA but not protecting pedophiles said he anticipated as many as 100 House Republicans would vote to require release of the government files.
So far all we have seen are emails held by the Epstein estate. By law the estate is entitled to return of all evidence seized during FBI executions of search warrants at five Epstein properties in New York, Florida, and his private Caribbean island.
Contraband
However, contraband, be it illicit drugs or anything that could be deemed child pornography, can be held back from the Epstein estate.
I note this because so much news coverage, and especially from Washington, fails to include journalists reading relevant law before reporting. One need not be a lawyer to understand the law, you just have to read it and learn terms of art. Or reporters could ask legal experts, both practicing lawyers and professors of law. (I’ve taught law now for almost 17 years and have lectured about the law on six continents, yet never took a law school course.)
Please pay close attention to my BOLD FACE ADDITIONS and the final words quoted below from Section 2252A of Title 18, the federal criminal code:
(a)Any person who—
(1)
knowingly …mails, or transports or ships using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer, any child pornography;
(2)knowingly receives or distributes—
(A)
any child pornography using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or that has been mailed, or has been shipped or transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer; or
(B)
any material that containschild pornography using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or that has been mailed, or has been shipped or transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer;
(3)knowingly—
(A)
reproduces any child pornography for distribution through the mails, or using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer; or
(B)advertises, promotes, presents, distributes, or solicits through the mails, or using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer, any material or purported material in a manner that reflects the belief, or that is intended to cause another to believe, that the material or purported material is, or contains—
(i)
an obscene visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or
(ii)
a visual depiction of an actual minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct;
More Bamboozling?
While it might not happen, I can easily imagine Karoline Leavitt, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and other Trump appointees saying that they really wanted to be forthcoming, but this law prevented them from showing everything even to lawmakers and their staffs.
Should that happen the smart response, in my view, is to demand that the uncensored images be shown to any members ion the House or Senate who want to see them and to investigative staff appointed by Congress.
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2). “The Epstein Files: What May Be Held Back, Prof. David Cay Johnston”, Nov 18, 2025, Discussion of the ramifications of the release of the Epstein Files with David Cay Johnston, The Mark Thompson Show, duration of video 32:03, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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