At Least 16 Epstein Files Vanish From DOJ Site
This redacted photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a desk, documented on July 6, 2019, during a search of Jeffrey Epstein's home in New York. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)
At least 16 files vanished from the Justice Department’s public webpage containing records related to Jeffrey Epstein less than a day after they were posted, without explanation or public notice. The documents were available Friday but were no longer accessible by Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Among the missing files were images showing paintings of nude women and a photograph depicting a credenza and drawers filled with pictures. One of those images included, inside a drawer, a photograph showing President Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein, Melania Trump, and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. CNN documented the disappearance of the files.
The Justice Department has not explained why the materials were removed or whether the takedown was intentional. The unexplained disappearance fueled online speculation and renewed scrutiny of how the government is handling the Epstein records, which have long drawn public interest due to Epstein’s connections with powerful figures.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee highlighted the missing image featuring President Trump in a post on X, questioning why the files were removed and calling for transparency. “What else is being covered up?” the post said.
The initial document release included tens of thousands of pages, but many key records appear to be missing. NBC News reported that more than 680 pages were entirely redacted. Notably absent are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos analyzing charging decisions—documents that could shed light on how Epstein was investigated and why he was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.
The records, released under a recent law passed by Congress, also make little mention of several prominent figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, raising further questions about the scope and completeness of the disclosures.
Some newly released materials do offer fresh details, including insight into the Justice Department’s decision in the early 2000s to drop a federal investigation into Epstein and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing him of stealing photographs of children.
Additional files were posted Saturday, but searches found no mentions of President Trump or Bill Clinton, though some material remained redacted, according to NBC.
Despite a congressional deadline to release all records by Friday, the Justice Department said disclosures will continue on a rolling basis, citing the time required to protect survivors’ identities. The department has not said when the remaining records will be made public.
That approach has angered some Epstein accusers and lawmakers who pushed for the law. Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Saturday that an investigation would follow. Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein sexually abused her at his New York City mansion when she was 14, said the delayed and incomplete release left her feeling failed by the justice system once again.
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