Credit, US Department of Justice
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- author, Ana Faguy
- To roll, BBC News
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Reading time: 5 minutes
Materials from Epstein’s archives, including a photograph showing US President Donald Trump, have been removed from the US Justice Department’s website due to concerns expressed by victims, Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday (12/21).
The image showing Trump was later restored after analysis, according to Blanche.
He rejected criticism that the deletion was linked to the US president and said the same photo that included Trump also showed previously unseen images of women.
At least 13 files, among the thousands published Friday (12/19), relating to the millionaire convicted of sex crimes Jeffrey Epstein (1953-2019), had disappeared from the site on Saturday (12/20), without explanation.
Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee questioned the removal of the footage.
In a social media post, they asked Attorney General Pam Bondi: “What else is being covered up?” »
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that Trump’s image had been flagged by the Southern District of New York “for possible additional action to protect victims.”
The DoJ added that the image was temporarily removed for further analysis, “out of an abundance of caution.”
“After analysis, it was determined that there is no evidence that any of Epstein’s victims are depicted in the photograph, which was republished without any changes or modifications,” the agency said, including a link to the image in question on its website.
The photo was taken in one of Epstein’s homes, according to US authorities. She shows a piece of furniture with a series of framed photographs, many of which depict famous people.
There is also an open drawer filled with other photos. One of them shows the president with Epstein, first lady Melania Trump and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty in court.
Blanche called the suggestion that the photo was removed because it showed Trump “ridiculous.”
“This has nothing to do with President Trump,” he told NBC News.
“Dozens of photos of President Trump with Mr. Einstein have already been published. So it’s absurd to say that we would remove one photo, just one, because President Trump appears in it. It’s ridiculous.”
Blanche justified the removal of some of the previously released records by citing a New York judge who “ordered us to listen to any victim or victims’ rights group if there were concerns.”
“Many photographs were deleted after they were published on Friday,” he said.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein and has not been accused of any crime by the convicted criminal’s victims. There is no indication that the photos involved indicate any wrongdoing.
Congressional action
The DoJ was already under attack for not releasing all the files by last Friday’s deadline, as required by law. The documents include photos, videos and investigative materials related to Epstein.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky led the effort to release the files. He said he was disappointed in the Trump administration’s response and that his goal was to bring justice to the victims.
Massie says he is preparing noncompliance charges to file against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“They do not respect the spirit and the terms of the law,” he declared Sunday (12/21) on the CBS News TV channel, partner of the BBC in the United States.
“The position they have taken is very worrying,” lamented Massie. “I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are.”
Ten of the missing files contain images that apparently show the same room in Epstein’s house: a small massage room, with clouds painted on the ceiling and brown patterned wallpaper, filled with nudes. Some appear to be photos and others appear to be artistic works.
Most of the women illustrated on the wall have had their faces retouched. But one of the faces is retouched in one image and clearly visible in three others.
Another face remains unseen in all images and a painted image of the same person is visible.
The documents were released on Friday, following action by the US Congress forcing the DoJ to release them. The agency said it would grant Congress’ request to release the documents, with some reservations.
The Justice Department redacted identifiable information about Epstein’s victims, documents depicting sexual abuse or physical abuse of children, as well as any records that could “prejudice the ongoing federal investigation,” as well as any classified documents that must remain secret to protect “national defense or foreign policy.”
But many of the published materials have been heavily edited.
There was little new information about Epstein’s crimes, and items such as internal Justice Department memos containing charging decisions were not included in the released files.
In collaboration with Alison Benjamin and Benedict Garman.
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