On November 20, 2025, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston warned on Times Radio that it’s “highly likely” the Trump administration is already scrubbing or redacting Jeffrey Epstein’s files to protect powerful allies.
Johnston, author of books exposing elite corruption like It’s Even Worse Than You Think, told host Maddie Hale the DOJ under Attorney General Pam Bondi is “dragging its feet” on unredacted releases mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act (signed November 19, deadline December 19). “They’re using ‘active investigation’ loopholes to bury embarrassing truths,” he said, citing Bondi’s delays and selective redactions in prior drops. “This isn’t transparency—it’s triage for the connected.”
Johnston pointed to the Act’s provision allowing withholding for “ongoing probes,” noting Trump’s November directive for Bondi to investigate Epstein ties to Democrats like Clinton and Summers—seen by critics as a smokescreen. “If files implicate allies, expect heavy edits,” he warned, referencing Giuffre’s Nobody’s Girl (October 21, 2025) exposing elite complicity.
The interview, amid December 12 photo releases showing Trump, Clinton, Gates, Bannon, Allen, and Branson in Epstein’s orbit, amplified distrust. Johnston’s warning trended #TrumpScrubEpstein with 3.2 million posts (72% critical). As December 19 nears, his words underscore fears: transparency pledged, but power’s shield intact.
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