What started as a casual date over salad and small talk quickly turned into one of the most talked-about undercover stings in Washington.
The man in aviator sunglasses, hoop earrings, and a tight black T-shirt wasn’t just any Hinge match—at least not according to him.
He leaned in with hushed confidence, claiming he worked for the Department of Justice, had been there for over two decades, and was about to step into a senior role.
He spoke about working with prosecutors, U.S. Attorneys, and top law enforcement agencies.
Then he went further—talking about redactions in the Epstein files, internal squabbles at the DOJ, and even why Ghislaine Maxwell was allegedly transferred to a cushier prison.
His date seemed impressed, quietly munching on her salad. But she wasn’t who she claimed to be.
The “au pair” was actually an undercover reporter for O’Keefe Media Group, recording everything. When the footage dropped on Friday, it rattled Washington.
The Man Behind the Sunglasses
So who exactly was the man spilling supposed insider details?
His name: Joseph Schnitt III, a 49-year-old DOJ case analyst.
Far from a secret agent, Schnitt lives a quiet life in a modest suburban cul-de-sac in northern Virginia, about 25 miles from his office in D.C.
Public records show he bought his home for just over $250,000 back in 2009.
He’s single, apparently never married, and in 2023 earned just under $110,000 a year.
His work is with the DOJ’s Office of Enforcement Operations, the unit that advises on surveillance, search warrants, and even the Federal Witness Security Program.
Online, he’s nearly invisible. A barebones LinkedIn profile exists but has no activity.
Friends and colleagues describe him as private.
The Fallout at His Front Door
On the night the sting story broke, Schnitt came home looking far less talkative than he had been on that date.
Dressed in khakis, a black cap, and carrying bags, he ignored reporters waiting outside.
Meanwhile, DOJ leadership wasted no time distancing themselves.
In a sharply worded statement, the department said his comments had “zero bearing on reality” and dismissed them as personal musings with no connection to official work.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Schnitt had called “just a yes person” in the video, was directly defended in the response.
What He Said on Camera
During the sting, Schnitt told his date there were “thousands and thousands” of Epstein-related documents and suggested that Republicans would be protected in any release, while Democrats’ names would remain.
He speculated that Maxwell’s prison transfer was a reward for keeping quiet and mentioned supposed clashes between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over the files.
But in his own statement afterward, Schnitt backtracked.
He insisted everything he said was based on publicly available information, not on inside knowledge.
He claimed he only met the woman twice through Hinge and had no idea she was a reporter.
“Had I a clue,” he wrote, “the first date would have ended immediately.”
The Larger Epstein Controversy
The sting reignited the already heated debate around the Epstein files.
Since Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019—ruled a suicide while he faced sex trafficking charges—rumors have swirled that he kept a “client list” of powerful figures.
Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 20 years, has repeatedly denied the existence of such a list, insisting that people like Bill Clinton never set foot on Epstein’s private island.
Earlier promises by Attorney General Bondi that the files were “on her desk” fueled expectations, only for later disclosures to prove underwhelming.
Political Firestorm
The story has deepened divisions.
Right-wing influencers were once invited to the White House and handed binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” only to later discover the contents were already public.
When the DOJ clarified there was no secret list, it sparked backlash among Trump loyalists.
President Trump himself weighed in this week on Truth Social, blasting the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax” designed to distract from Republican successes.
He claimed the DOJ had already fulfilled requests for documents and accused Democrats of exploiting victims’ pain for politics.
Survivors Speak Out
Amid the political theater, Epstein’s survivors remain at the heart of the matter.
Just days ago, they met privately with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to recount the abuse they suffered.
Their testimonies remind the nation that beyond the headlines, sting operations, and political battles, real lives were devastated by Epstein and his network.