In September 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) deputy chief said the department would "redact every Republican or conservative person" before releasing its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The DOJ staffer in question, Joseph Schnitt, made the comments on video while being covertly recorded by his date, a woman who, unbeknownst to Schnitt, gave the footage to O'Keefe Media Group, an independent, conservative news organization.
James O'Keefe, the media group's owner, posted (archived) the footage on X with the caption:
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"
In the video, Schnitt reportedly said, "They'll redact every Republican or conservative person in those files, leave all the liberal, Democratic people in those files," referring to the DOJ and files related to Epstein.
Schnitt also reportedly said that Ghislaine Maxwell, who was serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to recruit and traffic underage girls, had been moved to a minimum security prison to "keep her mouth shut."
Claims about Schnitt's reported statements circulated on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Instagram (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived).
Schnitt essentially confirmed the authenticity of O'Keefe Media Group's undercover footage in a statement (archived) published by the DOJ. According to that statement, O'Keefe Media Group obtained the recording through a woman Schnitt knew as "Skylar" with whom he went on two dates in August 2025. Schnitt said he did not know "Skylar" recorded the dates, and that the comments he made in the video "were my own personal comments on what I've learned in the media and not from anything I've done at or learned via work."
The DOJ said (archived) the comments in the video had "absolutely zero bearing with reality and reflect a total lack of knowledge of the DOJ's review process." Schnitt's own statement made clear he did not intend the remarks to be interpreted as DOJ statements. Snopes could not independently confirm the DOJ's claim that Schnitt's comments did not reflect reality because we could not access the DOJ's database of documents.
However, given that neither Schnitt nor the DOJ claimed the footage was manipulated or fake, we found the alleged quotes correctly attributed to Schnitt.
We reached out to Schnitt, the DOJ and O'Keefe Media Group for further comments on the footage and await replies to our queries.
Schnitt and DOJ respond to undercover video
The DOJ reposted O'Keefe Media Group's video on X with a screenshot of a message from Schnitt to Jeffrey S. Pollak, the acting director of the DOJ's Office of Enforcement Operations. The statement identified Schnitt as the acting deputy director of that office.
The statement read:
I met a woman named Skylar on Hinge, a dating app, in July 2025, her profile is no longer findable. We had two dates (August 4 and August 16). She claimed to be an au pair in Georgetown. She gave no clues that she was a reporter or recording our dates. Had l a clue, the first date would have ended immediately and there never would have been a second one.
My profile indicated I did "Government" work but did not specify for which agency. I never discussed what I do at DOJ.
The comments I made were my own personal comments on what I've learned in the media and not from anything I've done at or learned via work. I have no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Ms. Maxwell other than what is reported in the news. I also never divulged anything about what I do at work. 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.
The Office of Enforcement Operations where Schnitt's statement said he worked provides support to the DOJ's Criminal Division and U.S. Attorneys' offices in the form of legal advice or review of sensitive law enforcement tools like surveillance. The office sits toward the bottom of the DOJ organizational chart, at least four steps below U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The @DOJSpox47 X account, the spokesperson account for the DOJ during the second Trump administration, also reposted the O'Keefe Media Group video with a statement reading, "The comments in this video have absolutely zero bearing with reality and reflect a total lack of knowledge of the DOJ's review process. The DOJ is committed to transparency and is in compliance with the House Oversight Committee's request for documents."
On Sept. 2, 2025, days before O'Keefe Media Group released the video of Schnitt, the House Oversight Committee released thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents from the DOJ.
The DOJ handed over the records to comply with a subpoena by the committee in August.
Schnitt fell for media group's honey trap
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on whether O'Keefe Media Group's video would lead to disciplinary action against Schnitt. Schnitt had not returned a request for comment on the same question at the time of this writing.
Snopes also asked the DOJ and Schnitt whether Schnitt had received training on honey trapping, a technique by which an attractive person, usually a woman, entices another person, usually a man, into revealing information.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the technique originated in espionage but was also used in journalism. The DOJ declined to comment on whether Schnitt had received training to protect himself from honey trapping and Schnitt had not replied to our request for comment at the time of this writing.
Though O'Keefe Media Group's video appeared authentic and neither the DOJ nor Schnitt questioned its authenticity, Snopes could not independently verify at the time of this writing whether Schnitt's comments were true.
The release of documents relating to Epstein's case, particularly a list of the convicted sex offender's clients, has been a a major topic of discussion during the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose connection to Epstein has been the subject of much speculation.
In February 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said a list of Epstein's clients was "sitting on my desk." However, a Justice Department memo in July 2025 said no such list existed.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for federal sex-trafficking charges. According to the July 2025 Justice Department memo denying the existence of an official client list, investigators believe he "harmed over one thousand victims."
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, suicide or substance use crisis or emotional distress, reach out 24/7 to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988 or using chat services at 988lifeline.org to connect to a trained crisis counselor.