An investigation has found that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) removed and withheld portions of the Jeffrey Epstein files that specifically mention former President Donald Trump, raising new questions about transparency in the handling of the high-profile record release.
Earlier this year, the DOJ released more than 3 million pages of documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. However, indexes and media reviews indicate that more than 50 pages of FBI interview records and related notes — including material linked to allegations involving Trump — were not included in the public release.
According to reporting from NPR and other outlets, the missing files include several summaries of FBI interviews that had been conducted in 2019 with a woman who claimed she was sexually abused by Epstein and Trump when she was a minor. Only one of four interview summaries is publicly available, and the others remain unseen by the public.
Lawmakers, including Representative Robert Garcia, have criticized the DOJ’s handling of the documents, saying the omission of relevant files could be a violation of the transparency law. Members of the House Oversight Committee are now investigating whether any records were improperly withheld.
The DOJ has denied that files were deleted to protect public figures, stating that some omissions were due to legal privilege, duplication, or ongoing review requests from victims and their lawyers. Officials have also said that documents removed for sensitive content are intended to be restored once properly reviewed.
Advocates for Epstein survivors have criticized the process, saying improper redactions and missing records have compromised confidentiality and left important questions unanswered. The controversy adds another layer of public scrutiny to the release of the Epstein files and the information included — or left out — in the government’s transparency efforts.
