The Department of Justice is scrambling after an undercover video surfaced showing a high-ranking DOJ official admitting that the agency would intentionally shield Republicans from being named in files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The footage, released Thursday by conservative journalist James O’Keefe, shows a man identified as Joseph Schnitt, a Deputy Chief at the DOJ, making brazen statements about how the Epstein files are allegedly being handled behind the scenes.
“They’ll redact every Republican or conservative person in those files,” Schnitt says in the secretly recorded video. “Leave all the liberal, Democratic people in those files.”
The clip, recorded during a date arranged through the Hinge app, quickly went viral—sparking immediate backlash and demands for answers.
As if that wasn’t enough, Schnitt also took aim at the Bureau of Prisons for allegedly going soft on Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“She shouldn’t have gone to minimum security,” he says in the video. “It violates policy.”
The DOJ’s initial reaction wasn’t a denial—it was damage control. Within hours of the video being posted, the department issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), including a letter written by Schnitt himself, essentially confirming the authenticity of the recording.
“I met a woman named Skylar on Hinge, a dating app, in July 2025, her profile is no longer findable,” Schnitt wrote. “We had two dates (August 4 and August 16).”
“She gave no clues that she was a reporter or recording our dates. Had I a clue, the first date would have ended immediately and there never would have been a second one.”
Schnitt claimed his remarks were not based on any insider knowledge, saying they were simply “my own personal comments on what I’ve learned in the media and not from anything I’ve done at or learned via work.”
He added: “I recall that she asked if I had any knowledge about Maxwell and I specifically said I only know what’s been reported in the media.”
But the explanation is doing little to calm the firestorm. Critics argue that even if Schnitt was exaggerating or speculating, it’s alarming that a senior DOJ official would casually make those kinds of claims—on or off the record.
“If this is what they’re saying on dates, imagine what they’re doing behind closed doors,” one X user posted. Another added, “This sounds like more than just drunk talk—it sounds like confirmation.”
The Epstein case has long been a lightning rod for conspiracy theories and allegations of elite protection. The idea that political affiliations could determine who gets redacted—and who gets exposed—only fuels public distrust in the justice system.
And the timing couldn’t be worse. The public has been demanding transparency around Epstein’s connections for years. Names have been hinted at, files partially released, but key questions remain unanswered—especially about who knew what, and when.
Now, with this new clip circulating, those questions are turning into accusations.
Whether Schnitt was speaking from knowledge or just parroting media chatter, the fact remains: a DOJ official was caught on tape talking about redacting names based on political party—and the DOJ has not denied it.
The Department has not said whether Schnitt will face disciplinary action, nor have they commented on whether an internal investigation is underway.
Watch the undercover video and Schnitt’s response below.
BREAKING: DOJ Deputy Chief Admits Government Will “Redact Every Republican” While “Leav[ing] All the Liberal, Democratic People” on the Epstein Client List; Says Ghislaine Maxwell Was Moved to a Lower-Security Prison As “A Benefit… to Keep Her Mouth Shut”
“She [Maxwell] got… pic.twitter.com/QzSEdxnBqR
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) September 4, 2025
