Jayapal, Booker Introduce REDACT Act to Protect Epstein Survivors and Strengthen Accountability for DOJ Privacy Violations

Watch the full video of the press conference HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, standing alongside Epstein survivors, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced legislation designed to safeguard survivors whose personal information was improperly disclosed during the Department of Justice's (DOJ) release of records related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and prosecution. The Recovery, Enforcement, and Damages to Assure Confidential Treatment (REDACT) Act, would establish clear accountability for the DOJ and reinforce protections against future breaches of personally identifiable information.

On November 19, 2025, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law, requiring the DOJ to publicly release all unclassified records related to the Epstein investigation within 30 days. The law required the DOJ to protect survivors' identities by redacting their personally identifiable information from any published documents. The DOJ failed to meet this obligation. Instead, the Department released tens of thousands of records containing unredacted personal information belonging to nearly 100 survivors, including an email that identified 31 child victims with only a single redaction. As of February 2026, DOJ has been forced to retract approximately 9,500 documents containing survivor information. These disclosures subjected survivors to harassment, traumatization, and threats to their personal safety.

The REDACT Act would amend the Epstein Files Transparency Act to allow survivors to hold the DOJ accountable for these privacy violations and seek compensation for harm resulting from the unlawful disclosure of their personal information.

"The Epstein Survivors have fought for years to get justice and reveal the powerful predators in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit. Their fight for justice was met by an incredibly incompetent DOJ that released their private information, while protecting abusers. Because of this, they have faced serious retraumatization and harassment. Our legislation will get the survivors the accountability they deserve from a DOJ that has failed them, " said Jayapal.

"No survivor should have to relive unimaginable trauma because the federal government failed to protect their privacy," said Booker. "I've heard directly from survivors about what this recklessness has cost them - harassment, traumatization, threats to their safety. Survivors deserve to be made whole, and I will keep fighting to hold the DOJ accountable and stand up for the people it was supposed to protect. If legislation is what it takes to force the DOJ to meet its obligations, then Congress has a duty to act and pass this bill."

"The rule of law means little if the government is free to violate the rights of the very people the law was written to protect. Survivors should never bear the cost of the Department of Justice's failures, nor should they be left without a remedy when those failures cause profound and lasting harm. The REDACT Act affirms a principle that should never have been in doubt: victims' rights do not end where government negligence begins, " said Liz Stein, Epstein Survivor.

The REDACT Act would specifically authorize survivors to:

• Seek a court order requiring DOJ to remove unredacted personal information from public records;
• Recover statutory or compensatory damages, including the greater of $50,000 or proven damages such as emotional distress; and
• Recover reasonable attorney's fees and litigation costs.

To read a one-pager on the bill, click here.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

Issues: Civil Rights, Public Safety & Criminal Justice