Rep. Ro Khanna named six men who appeared in less-redacted Jeffrey Epstein records while speaking on the House floor Tuesday. This increased the bipartisan fight over what lawmakers say the Justice Department has kept from public view in the release of Epstein investigative files.
Khanna, a California Democrat, read the names into the Congressional Record. He questioned why the identities remained hidden in the public version of the documents. “My question is, why did it take Thomas Massie and me going to the Justice Department to get these six men’s identities to become public?” Khanna asked. “And if we found six men they were hiding in two hours, imagine how many men they are covering up for in those 3 million files?”
The six men Khanna listed were Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, and Leslie Wexner, according to Newsweek. Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, reviewed the less-redacted material Monday at a Justice Department facility as part of a lawmakers’ oversight effort following the release of millions of pages tied to Epstein.
Massie, the lead sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, told reporters after the review that he saw “the names of at least six men that have been redacted, who are likely involved because of their inclusion in these files,” according to The Guardian. He said he wanted the DOJ to remove what he considered improper redactions and allow the department to correct any over-redaction without lawmakers having to disclose names themselves.
Rep. @RoKhanna names the six alleged Epstein co-conspirators on the House floor that the DOJ has been accused of trying to protect pic.twitter.com/hL03IXDdJC
— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) February 10, 2026
Khanna and Massie argued that the transparency law allows only limited redactions, mostly to protect victims’ identities, and that the government withheld names beyond what the law permits. Democrats who also reviewed the materials on Monday said they believed the files included extensive redactions they could not justify right away, including what they called inconsistent treatment of victim information.
The dispute over the names came as Congress and the White House continued to clash over the administration’s handling of the Epstein document releases. The DOJ has claimed it has completed its review and met its obligations, while lawmakers argue that millions of pages remain unreleased or heavily redacted, even in versions available for congressional inspection.
Khanna’s choice to read the names publicly created another point of tension because none of the six men he mentioned has been charged in connection with Epstein’s crimes. Public reporting has not shown that their appearance in the records indicates criminal conduct. Khanna and Massie framed their push as an effort to apply the same standard of disclosure to non-victim names that the law intended while protecting survivor identities.
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His case and the government’s investigative records have remained a recurring political and legal issue, with renewed pressure from lawmakers seeking transparency about who interacted with Epstein and how federal authorities handled the situation over time.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday if the Justice Department planned to respond to Khanna’s floor remarks or adjust future document releases. Khanna stated that his speech aimed to press the DOJ to explain why those names were hidden in the first place and to speed up the disclosure in line with the law.
