Julie K. Brown’s blood runs cold as she sifts through the latest Trump-era DOJ Epstein files—only to spot her own American Airlines itinerary from July 6, 2019, staring back, complete with her rarely used maiden name and tied to a grand jury subpoena issued weeks before Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest on the very day her return flight was booked. The Miami Herald journalist, whose explosive 2018 “Perversion of Justice” series interviewed 80 victims and reignited the case against the sex-trafficking predator, never imagined her personal travel—booked for a planned interview with Epstein survivors Maria and Annie Farmer in Little Rock, Arkansas—would end up in the files she helped expose. “Why was the DOJ monitoring me?” Brown demanded on X and Substack, sparking fury from House Oversight Democrats who blasted it as potential intimidation of the press chasing elite secrets. A DOJ source claims it was routine victim flight tracing, since Brown booked for an accuser, but with over a million more pages still sealed and no full explanation, the chilling hint of surveillance hangs heavy: who else was watched in the shadows?
In a revelation that has stunned the journalism community, Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown—the journalist whose 2018 series “Perversion of Justice” interviewed dozens of victims and reignited federal scrutiny leading to Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 arrest—discovered her own American Airlines travel itinerary from July 2019 buried in the U.S. Department of Justice’s December 2025 release of Epstein-related documents.
On December 28, 2025, Brown posted on X and her Substack: “Does somebody at the DOJ want to tell me why my American Airlines booking information and flights in July 2019 are part of the Epstein files (attached to a grand jury subpoena)? As the flight itinerary includes my maiden name (and I did book this flight) why was the DOJ monitoring me?”
The records detail a round-trip commercial flight routed through Dallas/Fort Worth to Little Rock, Arkansas, and Austin, Texas. The itinerary aligns with Brown’s planned interviews with Epstein survivors Maria and Annie Farmer in Little Rock. Notably, the outbound segment coincided with Epstein’s July 6, 2019, arrest in New York.
Brown, who spoke to around 80 victims for her series and detailed victim assistance in her 2020 book Perversion of Justice, confirmed she booked the flight on behalf of an accuser (likely Annie Farmer). While she expected references to her reporting in the files, the personal details—including her rarely used maiden name—raised alarms about potential surveillance during the first Trump administration.
The discovery prompted swift backlash. House Oversight Democrats reposted Brown’s query, demanding the DOJ explain “why travel information and booking itineraries for a journalist are in the Epstein files.” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) praised Brown as a “tireless truth-seeker” and called for answers.
A DOJ official clarified to media that the records stemmed from subpoenas for victim travel during the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell probes. Investigators sought commercial airline data—distinct from Epstein’s private jet—to verify timelines. The airline’s February 2020 response incidentally captured Brown’s booking details as the payer.
No evidence suggests targeted monitoring of Brown; it appears routine and incidental. Nonetheless, the episode highlights press freedom concerns amid the Epstein Files Transparency Act releases, signed by President Trump in November 2025. Initial batches on December 19 and 23 faced criticism for redactions and incompleteness, with over a million additional pages pending into 2026.
Brown’s work exposed Epstein’s lenient 2008 deal, contributed to his charges (before his suicide), Maxwell’s conviction, and Alex Acosta’s resignation. As more documents await disclosure, advocates urge full transparency to resolve questions in this saga of elite connections.
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