They’ll redact every Republican’: James O’Keefe drops a bombshell tape of a DOJ official spilling secrets on the Epstein files

James O’Keefe has dropped a bombshell tape that he claims features a top DOJ official spilling secrets about the highly anticipated Epstein files. The video allegedly shows acting Deputy Chief of Special Operations Joseph Schnitt revealing the Justice Department’s plan for redacting the files, as well as a supposed deal with Epstein’s convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. This news is already causing a major stir, and the DOJ is scrambling to do damage control.

The DOJ first provided a statement to O’Keefe asserting that Schnitt’s claims were false and that he “had no role in the Department’s internal review of Epstein materials” and that his comments “have absolutely zero bearing with reality.” Then, in an even stranger move, the Justice Department’s official X account posted an unedited iPhone screenshot of an email from Schnitt to his superior.

The screenshot, which includes the airplane-mode icon and battery percentage, shows Schnitt claiming that the person he met twice for a date “gave no clues that she was a reporter or recording our dates.” He also tried to distance himself from his own words, saying his comments were based “on what I’ve learned in the media and not from anything I’ve done at or learned via work,” which is hard to believe now.

The Department of Justice tries to defend itself as it loses all credibility

The Justice Department’s response has been, to be fair, incredibly bizarre and seems to lend credence to the video’s veracity. The email also quotes him as saying, “I have no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Ms. Maxwell other than what is reported in the news,” and “I also never divulged anything about what I do at work.”

The video, which O’Keefe says was recorded by an undercover operative, features Schnitt acknowledging the existence of the Epstein files, which he claims contain “thousands and thousands of pages.” He then goes on to detail what he believes the DOJ’s plan is for their release. According to Schnitt, the plan is to “redact every Republican or conservative person in those files” while “leav[ing] all the liberal, Democratic people in those files.” If this is true, it’s a huge scandal and speaks to a political bias that’s awful for the Justice Department’s credibility.

On top of that, Schnitt also made some eyebrow-raising comments about Ghislaine Maxwell. He noted that she was recently “transferred to a minimum-security prison,” which he says is against Federal Bureau of Prisons policy for a convicted sex offender. The official added that “They’re offering her something to keep her mouth shut.” This alleged detail suggests a deal is in place to prevent Maxwell from speaking out, which, if true, would be a huge story in its own right. It’s an awful look for the justice system if they’re offering convicted criminals deals to silence them.

The whole thing feels weird, with the DOJ’s initial response effectively confirming the video’s legitimacy by not denying its contents, and then their follow-up response on X being a screenshot of a bizarre, half-hearted defense. It makes it hard to trust the DOJ’s handling of these files, especially when the GOP keeps trying to redact files to hide information and block the push for transparency entirely.