On the Media — "How the Justice Department Failed Epstein’s Victims"

Podcast: On the Media (WNYC Studios)
Date: February 6, 2026
Hosts: Brooke Gladstone
Guest: Julie K. Brown (Miami Herald investigative journalist)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the latest revelations from the Justice Department’s overdue releases of Jeffrey Epstein case files, the subsequent mishandling of survivors' private information, and ongoing failures in achieving accountability for Epstein's victims. Investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, whose relentless work helped revive the Epstein investigation, joins Brooke Gladstone to dissect the significance of the recently published (but heavily redacted and problematic) documents, the players still protected, and the deeper implications for justice in America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The DOJ’s Mishandling of Victim Information

• [00:05] Justice Dept. erroneously leaked unredacted personal details and photos of survivors.
• Annie Farmer (Epstein survivor) shares firsthand impact:
  “I found my own date of birth, my own phone number.” (00:14)
• Justice Department is scrambling to remove these files from the public record.
• Epstein’s crimes spanned over 20 years, with more than 1,000 victims.

2. What the Newly Released "Epstein Files" Show—and Omit

• [01:48] The release was compelled by a new Transparency Act, with promises of rigorous privacy protections—yet these failed, exposing victims yet shielding prosecutors’ and powerful men’s names.
• Julie K. Brown describes the problem:
  “The wrong people are being exposed and the wrong people are being protected.” (04:38)
• Crucial information about the DOJ’s lenient plea deal with Epstein in 2007 remains heavily redacted; names of almost all involved prosecutors are hidden.
• Brooke Gladstone: “Basically off the hook. But he was charged with something, right?” (05:17)
  Julie K. Brown explains: Epstein served a “year” but spent it in his office, still receiving visits from young women—a “sentence” in name only.
  “He got off, considering at the time they knew he had raped about 40 girls.” (05:21)

3. The Role—and Failures—of Alex Acosta and Federal Prosecutors

• Acosta, whose deal let Epstein largely escape justice, was later promoted to Labor Secretary under Trump.
• Brown notes DOJ investigators' 2020 interviews with Acosta are replete with “I don’t remember” responses—even about basic case facts.
  “It’s unfathomable that he said that he didn’t know that there were so many victims… At one point, he’s calling the victims women... these were 13 and 14 year olds.” (06:14)
• Key evidence gaps: an 11-month gap in Acosta’s emails, especially while Epstein’s deal was being cut, attributed to “technical glitches”—but, Brown notes, “there were a lot of technical glitches, it seems, during this case.” (07:25)

4. Pattern of Corruption and Influence by Epstein

• Epstein used wealth, private investigators, and connections to corrupt the process:
  “He tried to get dirt on all of them. He investigated the police chief. He hired private investigators to follow the victims.” (07:25-07:56)
• Brown: “Epstein had a playbook to basically try to corrupt everybody that he came in contact with in order to get away with his crimes.” (07:56)

5. High-Profile Names and Ongoing Lack of Accountability

• Documented associates now include Elon Musk, Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Bill Gates, and allegations referencing both Presidents Clinton and Trump.
• The DOJ temporarily posted, then removed, a spreadsheet of unverified complaints about these individuals (03:29-03:45).
• Gladstone and Brown discuss the DOJ’s tendency to dismiss such tips as “sensationalist and untrue,” despite not investigating them.

6. Systematic Neglect of Victim Testimony and Evidence

• Brown highlights that, despite hundreds of victim interviews (“302 victim interviews”), there are no visible FBI notes or transcripts in the released files (10:30-10:46).
• “I never thought that authorities took this... The Palm Beach Police Department did their job, but the state attorney and the Justice Department completely failed these victims.” (10:46)

7. Patterns and Uninvestigated Allegations Involving Powerful Men

• Brown points out recurring patterns of Epstein and Trump hosting parties at which girls were introduced under false modeling promises.
• Gladstone asks about the notably detailed but possibly manipulated “Katie Johnson” lawsuit from 2016 against Epstein and Trump. Brown expresses the importance that the FBI never appeared to even interview her (12:50-13:57).

8. Redaction, Scrubbing, and the Obstacles to the Truth

• Brown is skeptical that anything new about Trump will surface:
  “I just don’t think we’re gonna find out anything about him because I think that they were scrubbed... I’m not saying he’s guilty of anything. These files were probably scrubbed.” (14:09)

9. Evidence of Corruption and the Duty of the Public

• Brown: “There is evidence of corruption on the part of public officials or former public officials. You know, maybe there are people that don’t understand the case as well as I do. I know all these people. Epstein kind of emailed in a code sometimes, but I could figure out what he’s saying. And he had some of these people probably on his payroll in one way or another. And I’m seeing lots of evidence of that.” (14:50)
• Brown advocates: “Everyone in the public should be writing every single one of their elected officials and demanding that this case not go away... This is a crime against children. And every single person in this country should be demanding that they start treating this case the way they should have in the beginning.” (15:42)

10. Why the Public Must Keep Paying Attention

• Gladstone asks what listeners—especially those numbed by the endless horror of the news cycle—should take away. Brown responds:
  • “If we let this case slide and all the people that helped him get away with this slide, it means we don’t care about the most vulnerable people in our society... That, to me, goes against everything our country has stood for.” (16:51)
• Brown has been flooded with tips and welcomes the new era of “citizen journalists” combing the online files for clues.
  “Everybody keep digging, send me stuff.” (17:44)

Notable Quotes

• Annie Farmer on DOJ’s document release:
  “I found my own date of birth, my own phone number.” (00:14, 02:23)

• Julie K. Brown on redactions:
  “The wrong people are being exposed and the wrong people are being protected.” (04:38)

• Brooke Gladstone on the failed plea deal:
  “Basically off the hook. But he was charged with something, right?” (05:17)

• Julie K. Brown on Acosta:
  “It’s unfathomable that he said he didn’t know that there were so many victims… At one point, he’s calling the victims women... these were 13 and 14 year olds.” (06:14)

• Julie K. Brown on systemic failure:
  “The Palm Beach Police Department did their job, but the State attorney and the Justice Department completely failed these victims.” (10:46)

• Julie K. Brown on public responsibility:
  “Every single person in this country should be demanding that they start treating this case the way they should have in the beginning.” (15:42)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05 — DOJ’s release of unredacted survivor information
• 01:48 — Context around the new Transparency Act and document release
• 04:07–05:21 — Julie K. Brown on redactions and the 2007 plea deal
• 06:14–07:56 — Alex Acosta and missing evidence, Epstein’s corruption tactics
• 09:04–10:30 — Law enforcement's failings, uninvestigated tips, and the challenge of victim testimony
• 12:50–13:57 — The "Katie Johnson" case and the absence of an FBI interview
• 14:09–15:19 — Status of the files, scrubbing of information
• 15:42–16:51 — Brown’s call for public action and the need to resist “sliding into apathy”
• 17:44 — Emergence of citizen journalists helping the investigation

Tone and Flow

The discussion is serious but determined, reflecting both frustration over years of institutional failure and hope in the surge of public interest and grassroots scrutiny. Brown, while realistic about obstacles, remains driven and deeply invested: excited by discoveries, catalyzed by public engagement, but clear-eyed about the continuing lack of accountability.

Memorable Moments

• Julie K. Brown’s candid evaluation of Acosta’s memory lapses: “Yet he doesn't remember this, doesn't remember that. It's unfathomable that he said that he didn't know that there were so many victims.” (06:14)
• Brown on the imperative of public outrage: “If we let this case slide... it means we don’t care about the most vulnerable people in our society.” (16:51)
• A call to action: “Everybody keep digging, send me stuff.” (17:44)

Summary Takeaway

Despite a historic document release, systemic failures continue: while survivors’ privacy was violated yet again, power-brokers are shielded by redactions. Institutional corruption remains largely unaccounted for, and so much truth stays buried. Julie K. Brown’s message is clear—lasting justice will only come if the public insists on it, demanding answers, transparency, and genuine accountability from those who enabled the worst crimes against the most vulnerable.