Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky announced this week that they had reviewed unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files at the Department of Justice and identified six previously concealed names they believed were implicated in misconduct.

After viewing the records, Khanna entered the names into the Congressional Record and read them aloud on the House floor, relying on constitutional protections under the Speech or Debate Clause. The lawmakers suggested the redactions shielded individuals connected to wrongdoing.

Massie stated that the pair had “found six men whose names have been redacted who are implicated in the way the files are presented,” questioning why their identities had not been disclosed earlier.

However, a spokesperson for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters that four of the names came from an FBI photo lineup assembled years ago by the Southern District of New York for investigative purposes. According to the department, those individuals were included in the file solely as part of the lineup process and had no ties to Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.

The four men identified as unrelated to the criminal case are Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo.

The Guardian reported that only two of the six names, including Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an Emirati businessman formerly associated with DP World, had substantive connections noted in the records. Retail executive Leslie Wexner, who has long faced scrutiny over his past financial relationship with Epstein but has not been charged with a crime, was also among the names disclosed.

Massie later clarified that the Nicola Caputo listed in the file did not appear to be the same individual who served as a Member of the European Parliament from Italy, noting discrepancies in birth year data contained in the record.

One of the men publicly identified, Nuara, told reporters he contacted Khanna’s office seeking clarification after his name was read into the Congressional Record.

The episode has renewed debate over the pace and scope of document disclosures related to Epstein’s case. Lawmakers from both parties have pressed the Justice Department for broader transparency, including fewer redactions and faster release timelines, while the department has maintained that certain investigative materials require careful handling to avoid harming uninvolved individuals.