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Right-leaning reactions to the limited release of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case have been sharply divided, with some backers of the former Trump administration pointing out the noticeable presence of Bill Clinton and other Democratic figures in photographs, while others lamented how heavy censorship portray former President Trump and Republicans in a negative manner.

Justice Department Justifies Censorship with Strong Hyperbole

Administration officials defended the redactions with fervent hyperbole. “At no point in U.S. history has a President or the Department of Justice been so open with the American people about such a delicate legal matter,” stated Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who released a six-page letter outlining the redaction procedure.

Questions Prompted by Redactions

While the former president's name and image appear in some of the materials, the extensive black blocks raise serious concerns about what may be hidden behind them. Some Republicans immediately called for greater openness.

“The public are raging and disengaging,” wrote Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Via a social media post, GOP Kentucky Thomas Massie asserted the redactions violate the statute, and suggested that a subsequent legislature may move to remove the top law enforcement official, Pam Bondi, for that violation. “Unfortunately, today’s document release egregiously fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the act,” he added.

A Faction of Conservative Commentators Swing In Support of the Release

But, a segment of conservative pundits and Trump allies swung firmly in support of the Justice Department's actions.

The release—from a DOJ run by key Trump ally Pam Bondi—includes hundreds of documents that are completely censored, and numerous of the individuals shown in photographs have their identities blacked out.

But a few are not, featuring high-profile figures like Bill Clinton, entertainer Michael Jackson, and scholar Noam Chomsky. The presence of the former president, especially, allowed some rightwing voices to launch the attack.

“This is quite ironic how the Democrats falsely claimed President Trump of associating with a sex offender, only for the administration's Justice Department to release documents that show Bill Clinton swimming nude with a convicted sex offender,” wrote right-wing activist Laura Loomer.

“New Epstein Files show Bill Clinton without a shirt in a hot tub with a woman that is not his wife Hillary Clinton,” wrote lawyer Rogan O’Handley. “There is only one explanation Epstein would photograph a US President with a girl in a hot tub: Blackmail.”

Former President Spokesperson Issues Response

Clinton has consistently stated he knew of zero illegal activity by Epstein and has not been alleged to have engaged in any wrongdoing. “The administration hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to release them late on a weekend to shield Bill Clinton,” Clinton’s representative Angel Ureña stated in a statement.

“The release is about shielding themselves from future revelations, or from what they’ll try and conceal permanently. Therefore they can release as many grainy decades-old photographs as they desire, but it is not about Bill Clinton. Not previously, not ever be,” the statement concluded.

Overall Rightwing Commentary Remains Subdued

However, overall comment on the right was comparatively muted following the release, especially when compared with the loud demands for transparency that preceded the legislative approval to pass a law requiring the documents' release.

The commentator, who recently accepted press credentials at the Pentagon, had been one of the loudest proponents for a full disclosure. In February, she chastised the administration generally and Bondi in particular after a group of conservative influencers were provided hard-copy binders of materials that contained no new information.