>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
It was a dramatic moment.
It was also, according to the Justice Department, dangerously wrong.
Within days, officials clarified that four of the six men named were not Epstein associates at all. They were individuals who had once appeared in an FBI photo lineup connected to the investigation. That is it.
No criminal charge.
No evidence of involvement.
No established tie to Epstein’s crimes.
Just faces placed in a lineup during an investigation.
A spokesperson from the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told the Guardian that the file in question “was a photo lineup used for investigative purposes by the [Southern District of New York].”
The spokesperson was blunt:
“Rep Ro Khanna and Rep Thomas Massie forced the unmasking of completely random people selected years ago for an FBI lineup – men and women. These individuals have NOTHING to do with Epstein or Maxwell.”
That statement landed like a brick.
Four of the names read into the Congressional Record — Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo — were suddenly branded in headlines across the country. Their reputations were swept into one of the most notorious scandals in modern history.
And for what?
According to the DOJ, they were never implicated in wrongdoing.
One of the men reportedly contacted Khanna’s office in disbelief.
“I don’t know if they know what they are doing over there at the Justice Department,” he said. “But how can I clear my name?”
That question hangs in the air.
Because once a name is read on the House floor and blasted across social media, the damage is done.
Even Massie appeared to backtrack when it came to one of the individuals. The Kentucky congressman had suggested that one name might belong to someone “pretty high up” in a foreign government.
Later, he acknowledged:
“I have good reason to believe the Nicola Caputo in EFTA00077895 is NOT the same Nicola Caputo who served as a Member of European Parliament from Italy,” Massie said. “The redacted year of birth for the man in the Epstein files indicates he is more than ten years older than the former MEP.”
In other words, it appears the wrong Nicola Caputo was swept into the storm.
That leaves only two of the six names with established connections to Epstein.
One was retail billionaire Leslie Wexner, whose association with Epstein has long been public knowledge. Wexner was never charged with a crime, though his relationship with Epstein has drawn scrutiny for years.
The other was Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an Emirati billionaire and former CEO of DP World, who reportedly resigned after his name surfaced in connection with the files.
But the larger issue remains.
Members of Congress, armed with constitutional immunity, publicly identified private citizens without fully verifying context. The fallout will not disappear with a press clarification.
For lawmakers who frequently criticize federal overreach and demand due process, this episode raises uncomfortable questions. Transparency is vital. Accountability is essential. But so is responsibility.
Reading names tied to an investigative lineup — without clearly explaining that distinction — risks turning innocent Americans into collateral damage in a political spectacle.
The Epstein scandal deserves full exposure. The American people deserve the truth.
But they also deserve leaders who verify before they amplify.
