DOJ partially unredacts names in Epstein files following congressional review

Date: 2026-02-10 • ID: 2026-02-10-unredacted-names-disclosed

On February 9, 2026, Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), co-sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, became among the first members of Congress to review unredacted versions of Epstein-related files at a Department of Justice satellite office in Washington, D.C. Following a two-hour review, the lawmakers stated publicly that at least six men whose names had been redacted in publicly released files appeared, in their assessment, to be potentially relevant by their inclusion. The lawmakers declined to name those individuals at that time, stating they wanted to give the DOJ an opportunity to correct its own redactions.

On February 10, 2026, following congressional pressure, the Department of Justice unredacted certain names from publicly released Epstein-related documents. The names unredacted on that date included Les Wexner, Lesley Groff, and Jean-Luc Brunel, who were listed in an FBI investigative document alongside Epstein. Sultan Bin Sulayem, an Emirati businessman, was separately identified by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche via social media in connection with a redacted email reference. Representative Khanna publicly identified Wexner by name on the House floor on February 10.

The unredaction was partial and contested. Lawmakers from both parties stated that the DOJ had not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which limits permissible redactions to personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardize active criminal investigations. The DOJ defended its approach, stating that it had processed an extensive volume of documents in good faith and that attorney-client and deliberative process protections applied to approximately 200,000 withheld or redacted pages.

Inclusion of names in the unredacted documents does not constitute a criminal charge or finding of wrongdoing. The Epstein Files Transparency Act and associated DOJ releases are the controlling primary sources for this entry.

Primary sources

• DOJ Epstein Disclosures page — justice.gov/epstein/doj-disclosures — the authoritative repository for released and unredacted files. HIGHEST PRIORITY PRIMARY SOURCE.
• Epstein Files Transparency Act — Enrolled bill text on Congress.gov — the controlling legal authority for all 2026 disclosure requirements. PRIMARY.
• DOJ letter to Congress re: privilege log — DOJ correspondence to members of Congress explaining the unredaction process and asserting privilege over certain materials. Primary source should be verified before publication.
• DAG Todd Blanche social media posts — Official communications from the Deputy Attorney General confirming specific unredactions (e.g., Sultan Bin Sulayem) on Feb. 10, 2026. Verify exact post URLs before citing.

Secondary sources

• Reuters — Contemporaneous wire reporting on the Feb. 9–10 events. High reliability for factual claims.
• AP — Contemporaneous wire reporting. High reliability.
• CNN — Feb. 10, 2026 article specifically covering the unredacted names (Wexner, Groff, Brunel).
• Axios — Feb. 9, 2026 reporting on the Massie–Khanna reading room review and the "six men" statement.
• Al Jazeera — Feb. 11, 2026 reporting on congressional floor statements identifying Wexner.

Attribution

Attribution note: Characterizations of how names were described are attributed to statements by the lawmakers who reviewed the materials.