A Newsmax host is turning up the heat on President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, blasting what he described as excessive redactions in the long-awaited Jeffrey Epstein files and demanding accountability from those responsible.
Carl Higbie, host of the Newsmax program “Carl Higbie Frontline,” did not mince words Wednesday as he criticized the DOJ’s handling of documents tied to the convicted sex offender. Higbie accused the administration of either incompetence or engaging in a cover-up, saying the American people deserve far more transparency.
“This is either a cover-up or it’s incompetence, and I want somebody to go to jail for it,” Higbie said. “At a minimum, anybody involved with screwing this up should no longer work at the DOJ or have a law license or anything.”
Under federal law, names in the documents were to be redacted to protect victims and survivors or to obscure individuals who remain under investigation. But Higbie questioned the scope of the redactions, arguing that entire sections appeared to be blacked out, including hundreds of pages of FBI interviews.
The issue came to a head during what lawmakers described as an explosive House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Attorney General Pam Bondi. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., raised concerns that hundreds of pages were fully redacted, prompting Higbie to ask why so much material had been withheld from public view.
“Why are hundreds of them fully redacted?” Higbie asked on air, echoing Massie’s frustration.
While Higbie directed much of his criticism toward the DOJ, he also placed blame on former Attorney General Bill Barr and prior administrations under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. According to Higbie, those administrations “failed” to release the DOJ’s Epstein files, leaving Bondi with the responsibility to address the matter now.
“You took that in by taking this job,” Higbie said, addressing Bondi directly.
In a notable moment, Higbie even praised Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for asking Bondi whether any Epstein co-conspirators or associated individuals are currently under investigation. Bondi declined to answer, telling Nadler his “theatrics are ridiculous.”
“As much as I hate Democrats, it was a good question, and the answer is zero,” Higbie said. “This should not be a partisan issue.”
He went further, suggesting that Bondi should have arrived at the hearing prepared to announce charges. “She should have just shown up with, like, a list of people, like, ‘Hey, here’s who we’re charging, today,’” he said.
Higbie later underscored what he sees as the central problem: “The bottom line is that no one new was in jail. The DOJ has 6 million pages of investigations and hundreds of victims and no arrests.”
During the hearing, Bondi sparred with both Republicans and Democrats on the committee. She criticized lawmakers, at times citing crime statistics in their districts and touting the performance of the stock market.
In one particularly heated exchange, Bondi accused Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., of voting against a resolution against antisemitism, drawing a sharp response from Balint.
“You want to go there? Are you serious?” Balint said before leaving the room. “Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust.”
Bondi also urged Republican members to use their allotted time to respond, often highlighting crime concerns in Democratic districts. As scrutiny over the Epstein files continues, calls for greater transparency — from both sides of the aisle — are growing louder.
