Jake Tapper took out his phone and scrolled in exasperation through the hundreds of pages of redacted content in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice Friday.
The CNN host joined Democrats who blasted Attorney General Pam Bondi for not putting out the legally required amount of information regarding the billionaire pedophile’s crimes.
As he discussed complaints from the left, Tapper grabbed his phone and held it up to the CNN cameras Friday night.
‘Talk about blacking out. I don’t know if I can get a close-up of my phone. This is one of the documents that the Justice Department released. It’s 100 pages,’ he said.
‘This is what it looks like, I don’t know if you can see. It’s all black. It’s just 100 pages of redaction. That’s the transparency we’re getting here.’
Ro Khanna, a co-sponsor of the bill, has called for impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Pam Bondi over the lack of information and the inability to completely release the files.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson slammed the media’s obsession on social media.
‘This clearly says that it was redacted to protect victims. Ridiculous to demand the names of victims be shared publicly.’ she wrote.
Jake Tapper took out his phone and scrolled in exasperation through the hundreds of pages of redacted content in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice Friday
This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein
She then asked: ‘Why do the sickos in the liberal media want a document called “masseuse list,” which was clearly redacted to protect victims, to be public?’
The long-awaited Epstein files were released on Friday, shedding new light on the inner world of the convicted sexual predator.
The Department of Justice posted the documents on its website, organizing the material into four datasets.
The trove includes images from Epstein’s homes, including rooms adorned with nude photographs and distinctive bright blue carpeting. However, the DOJ did not provide any context for the images of people included in the files.
Other records detail Epstein’s associations with high-profile figures such as Michael Jackson, Sir Mick Jagger, Kevin Spacey and other famous individuals.
Former president Bill Clinton features prominently in the files, appearing in photographs smiling at parties and swimming with women. He has since issued a blistering response, denying having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
More than 600,000 pages related to the pedophile have now been released this year, prompting the Trump administration to describe itself as the ‘most transparent in history’ following Friday’s disclosure.
An initial review indicates the documents released today originate from three separate investigations into Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes against young women.
Many Democrats have blasted Attorney General Pam Bondi (pictured) for not putting out the legally required amount of information regarding the billionaire pedophile’s crimes
Bill Clinton is seen with his arm around Michael Jackson. The pair pose with Diana ross and a redacted woman in the new release
Many of the files appear to stem from a 2005 police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a federal probe that culminated in Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal.
Others relate to a later investigation launched by Manhattan prosecutors in 2019 – a case that was never finished after Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial.
Being named or pictured in the files is not necessarily an indication of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Ahead of the release on Friday, President Trump refused to answer questions about the release of the documents after an event with pharmaceutical company executives in the Oval Office on Friday, saying he didn’t want to ‘spoil’ the event by allowing the media to ask ‘questions having to do with anything else.’
‘I won’t even take questions today, because there’s no way I can take questions that are anywhere comparable to what you just witnessed,’ Trump declared.
Jeffrey Epstein posing alongside Michael Jackson in an undisclosed location
Billionaire Richard Branson is seen alongside Epstein, with two women pictured behind
Friday’s dump of documents also revealed that Epstein once received a novelty check for $22,500 from Donald Trump.
The name in the signature line reads very different from Trump’s famous signature these days, but clearly reads in the designated space ‘D. Trump.’
The memo line was mostly covered by a redaction box and a similarly black-boxed woman stood beside a grinning check-wielding Epstein who donned a ‘USA’ crew neck.
The image is a black and white scan of a framed photo that repeatedly reads along the edges the phrase ‘once in a blue moon.’
So far, it’s the only piece of new information found linking Trump to Epstein.
There is a publication in the files of Epstein’s contact book, which includes a redacted entry for Trump. It’s already known that the president was among those who appeared in Epstein’s contact list.
