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Right-leaning reactions to the limited release of files related to the Epstein case have been mixed, with some supporters of the previous administration highlighting the prominent presence of Bill Clinton and other Democratic figures in photographs, while others lamented how extensive censorship cast Donald Trump and Republicans in a negative light.

Justice Department Defends Censorship with Fervent Hyperbole

Justice Department representatives justified the redactions with intense hyperbole. “At no point in American the nation's history has a President or the Department of Justice been so transparent with the American people about such a sensitive law enforcement issue,” declared a senior Justice official Todd Blanche, who released a detailed memo describing the censorship procedure.

Questions Prompted by Blacked-Out Sections

While the former president's name and likeness appear in some of the documents, the extensive black blocks prompt serious concerns about what may be concealed behind them. A number of conservative lawmakers immediately demanded greater openness.

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

Via a social media post, Republican Kentucky Thomas Massie asserted the censorship break the law, and suggested that a subsequent Congress may move to remove the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, for that violation. “Unfortunately, this file dump grossly does not adhere to both the spirit and the wording of the act,” he continued.

Some Rightwing Figures Rally In Support of the Release

But, some rightwing commentators and Trump loyalists came out strongly behind the administration.

The release—from a DOJ run by close Trump associate Pam Bondi—includes hundreds of documents that are entirely censored, and numerous of the men depicted in pictures have their identities blacked out.

Yet some are not, featuring high-profile individuals like Bill Clinton, pop singer Michael Jackson, and scholar Noam Chomsky. The presence of Clinton, in particular, enabled certain rightwing figures to go on the offensive.

“This is quite rich how the Democrats wrongly claimed President Trump of being a pedophile, only for the administration's Justice Department to release Epstein files that depict Bill Clinton skinny dipping with a pedophile,” wrote right-wing commentator Laura Loomer.

“New documents show Bill Clinton shirtless in a jacuzzi with a woman that is not his wife Hillary Clinton,” wrote attorney Rogan O’Handley. “There’s only one reason Epstein would photograph a Commander-in-Chief with a girl in a jacuzzi: Blackmail.”

Clinton Campaign Issues Statement

Bill Clinton has repeatedly said he knew of no criminal actions by Epstein and has not been accused to have participated in any wrongdoing. “The White House hasn’t been hiding these documents for months only to dump them at the last minute on a Friday to shield Bill Clinton,” Clinton’s spokesperson Angel Ureña stated in a comment.

“This is about protecting officials from future revelations, or from information they will try and conceal permanently. Therefore they can publicize as many grainy decades-old photos as they desire, but it is not about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” the statement concluded.

Broader Conservative Comment Remains Subdued

However, broader comment on the right was relatively subdued following the disclosure, especially when compared with the loud calls for action that preceded the legislative vote to pass a law mandating the files' publication.

The commentator, who not long ago accepted media access at the Defense Department, had been one of the most vocal proponents for a complete disclosure. Earlier this year, she chastised the administration generally and Bondi specifically after a set of rightwing personalities were provided hard-copy folders of files that included no new data.