🚨BREAKING: Mike Johnson says releasing the Epstein Files without redactions could pose

[Wiz Imp]

39. Republicans and Johnson have spent months claiming the reason they opposed the legislation is that it

didn't protect the victims. Even though the bill explicitly prohibits release personal identifying information of any victim and the victims themselves supported the bill without concern for their names or information being exposed. Now they're saying National Security? Did the victims work for the CIA? Keep in mind, Alex Acosta, who gave Epstein the sweetheart deal then became a Cabinet Secretary for Trump, stated to interviewers of Trump's first transition team: "I was told Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' and to 'leave it alone'", and that Epstein was "above his pay grade."

The law itself makes it not so simple to just claim "we can't release the records due to National Security". There are specific provisions in the law, for how those situations must be handled.
Actual text from the law:

(2) All redactions must be accompanied by a written justification published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress.

(3) To the extent that any covered information would otherwise be redacted or withheld as classified information under this section, the Attorney General shall declassify that classified information to the maximum extent possible.

(A) If the Attorney General makes a determination that covered information may not be declassified and made available in a manner that protects the national security of the United States, including methods or sources related to national security, the Attorney General shall release an unclassified summary for each of the redacted or withheld classified information.

(4) All decisions to classify any covered information after July 1, 2025 shall be published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress, including the date of classification, the identity of the classifying authority, and an unclassified summary of the justification.

It requires the AG to declassify any classified material "to the maximum extent possible". And any information withheld due to being "classified" MUST be "published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress" including who, when and why the material was classified. This means people will be paying very close to attention to their "explanations" for not releasing information and applying great pressure on the administration if their "explanations" are not believable.