• Congressmen say someone ‘pretty high up in a foreign govt’ apparently incriminated
• Democrats bring law to end statute of limitations shielding sex traffickers
• Lutnick admits to contact, denies close ties with Epstein
• Commission to probe allegations against prominent Norwegians

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers reviewing the un-redacted files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have expressed concern that some names have been removed from the records released to the public.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) compelled the Justice Department to release all of the documents in its possession.

It required the redaction of the names or personal identifying information about Epstein’s victims, but said that no records could be “withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, was among the Democratic and Republican lawmakers who examined the un-redacted Epstein files at a secure Justice Department location on Monday.

“I saw the names of lots of people who were redacted for mysterious or baffling or inscrutable reasons,” Raskin told reporters.

“There are certainly lots of names of other people who were enablers and cooperators with Jeffrey Epstein that were just blanked out for no apparent reason,” he said.

Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said he discovered the names of six men whose identities have been redacted from the released documents and who “are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files.”

Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, said “there’s no explanation why those people were redacted.”

They declined to provide their identities but Massie said one of them “is pretty high up in a foreign government” and Khanna said one of the others “is a pretty prominent individual.”

Massie and Khanna also said that many of the redactions in the released files had actually been made prior to the documents being received by the Justice Department. Those redactions may have been made earlier by the FBI or by prosecutors, they said.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, also testified from prison before Congress, but refused to answer any questions, stating that she would only speak if President Donald Trump granted her clemency.

‘Virginia’s Law’

Separately, Congressional Democrats introduced legislation on Tuesday that they said would eliminate the statute of limitations that has shielded sex traffickers such as Epstein.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez announced the proposal alongside Epstein victims and Virginia Giuffre’s family.

The proposal Virginia’s Law is named after Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide last year.

“Virginia’s dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward in a world that too often turns away from abuse and pushes it into the shadows. She wanted to bring light,” said Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s brother.

The bill’s fate in the Senate and House of Representatives, which are both controlled by Republicans, is unclear.

Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted to having lunch on Epstein’s private island but denied closer ties.

A rising number of US lawmakers have called for Lutnick to step down from President Donald Trump’s cabinet, as files released by the Justice Department contradicted earlier comments that he severed ties with Epstein more than two decades ago.

Separately, the Norwegian parliament has agreed to set up an independent commission to investigate the ties between Epstein and several prominent citizens, from the crown princess to a former prime minister who later chaired the committee that selects Nobel Peace Prize winners.

“It is absolutely crucial that trust in the Norwegian foreign service, the political sphere, and Norwegian democracy is maintained,” said lawmaker Per-Willy Amundsen, who heads a committee tasked with ensuring compliance with Norway’s constitution.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2026