The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Sunday that a photograph that showed President Donald Trump was reposted after being removed “out of an abundance of caution” from a public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The image showed a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. A photograph of Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell can be seen inside a drawer.
The department said on X that the image was reposted “without any alteration or redaction” after a review determined there was “no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted.”
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via an email sent outside regular business hours.
Why It Matters
On Friday, the Justice Department released some of its records related to its investigations into Epstein, a convicted sex offender and wealthy financier known for his connections to some of the world’s most powerful people, including Trump. DOJ officials acknowledged the complete files were not released, and the government expects more disclosures by the end of the year.
The release comes after the Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by Trump on November 19, giving the DOJ 30 days to release most of its files and communications related to Epstein. Friday’s partial release has led to fresh criticism from Democrats who have accused the Trump administration of trying to hide information.
The removal of the photo and other missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, sparking accusations that Trump’s DOJ is selectively withholding information and raising questions about its compliance with the law.
What To Know
According to the Associated Press, less than a day after they were posted, at least 16 files disappeared from the DOJ’s public webpage for documents related to Epstein—including the photograph of Trump—with no explanation or notice to the public.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the removal of the photo had nothing to do with Trump. The White House’s Rapid Response account posted a clip of Blanche’s comments on X.
“There are dozens of photos of President Trump already released to the public seeing him with Mr. Epstein. He has said that in the ’90s and early 2000s he socialized with him,” Blanche said.
“So the absurdity of us pulling down a photo, a single photo, because President Trump was in it is laughable. And the fact that everybody’s trying to act like that’s the case is a reflection of their true motivation,” the deputy attorney general continued.
Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years before they had had a falling-out, had sought for months to keep the records sealed. The president has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and he has argued there is nothing to see in the files. Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
What People Are Saying
The Department of Justice wrote on X on Sunday: “The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee posted the image featuring the Trump photo on X on Saturday, writing: “This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release. @AGPamBondi is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday: “It’s all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn’t want to go public—either about himself, other members of his family, friends, Jeffrey Epstein, or just the social, business, cultural network that he was involved in for at least a decade, if not longer.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson previously told Newsweek: “The Trump Administration is the most transparent in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have.”
What Happens Next
Blanche said he expected more documents to be released over the “next couple of weeks.”
Meanwhile, Representatives Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, have said they are considering filing draft articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi for what they see as the DOJ’s failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
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