Department of Justice withholds, removes Epstein files that reference Trump: Probe

An investigation has found that the US Justice Department has withheld and removed portions of files concerning late convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, which reference President Donald Trump.

According to the probe conducted by NPR and revealed on Tuesday, some files related to a woman who had said Trump had sexually abused her when she was a minor were not made public, despite a law mandating their release. The missing materials included what appeared to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes tied to the matter.

NPR reported that it had reviewed multiple sets of serial numbers stamped on documents in the files database concerning Epstein, FBI case records, emails, and discovery logs. The review identified dozens of pages that appeared to be catalogued by the Justice Department, but not shared publicly.

The department declined to answer NPR’s questions on the record regarding the specific files. After publication, the department objected to how its responses were framed. Spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre reiterated that any unpublished documents were privileged, duplicates or related to an ongoing federal investigation.

House Democrats announce parallel probe

Following NPR’s reporting, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said he had reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Justice Department.

“Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes,” Garcia stated.

Democrats on the committee, who had already been investigating the issue, said they would now open a parallel investigation into the DOJ’s decision not to release the documents.

Contents of FBI materials

The newly released files show that in late July and early August 2025, the FBI internally circulated a list of Epstein-related accounts mentioning Trump.

One lead was sent to the FBI’s Washington Office to set up an interview with the person pointing the finger at Trump.

According to the woman, around 1983, when she was about 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump, “who subsequently forced her” into complying with his sexual misconduct.

The victim refused and “in response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out.”

Out of more than three million pages released in recent months, the remarks appear only in copies of the FBI’s internal list and a DOJ slideshow.

According to FBI logs and discovery documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the FBI interviewed this woman four times. Only the first interview, dated July 24, 2019, is available in the public database, and it does not mention Trump.

Of 15 documents listed in case discovery materials concerning Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, which mention the person, only seven are in the public Epstein database. NPR’s review of serial numbers indicates there appear to be 53 pages of interview documents and notes missing.

In the first interview, the woman identified Epstein using a cropped photo. Her attorney said it was cropped because she “was concerned about implicating additional individuals, and specifically any that were well known, due to fear of retaliation.” FBI agents noted it was a “widely distributed photograph” of Epstein with Trump.

Elsewhere in the released files, an FBI note dated July 22, 2025, stated that Trump’s name appeared in the larger case file and that “one identified victim” had recounted abuse by Trump, “but ultimately refused to cooperate.”

Second victim and Mar-a-Lago reference

A second woman referenced Trump in materials tied to the criminal case against Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and is seeking clemency from Trump.

In her first of six FBI interviews conducted between September 2019 and September 2021, the woman said Epstein took her to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, while she was around 13 years old.

“EPSTEIN told TRUMP, ‘This is a good one, huh.,’” the interview report reads.

In a 2020 lawsuit, the woman said both men chuckled and that she “felt uncomfortable, but, at the time, was too young to understand why.”

That interview was removed from the DOJ’s public files after its initial January 30 publication and republished February 19, according to metadata.

Another interview mentioning Trump was briefly removed and later restored. An interview with the second woman’s mother remains offline. After publication, the Justice Department said the file required additional redactions and would be reposted soon.

In the mother’s interview, she recalled hearing that “a prince and DONALD TRUMP visited EPSTEIN's house” and that it made her “think that if they are there then how could EPSTEIN be a criminal,” according to NPR’s copy of the file.

White House response

Asked about the missing pages and the allegations, a White House spokeswoman told NPR that Trump “has done more for Epstein's victims than anyone before him.”

“Just as President Trump has said, he's been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein,” Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

The White House has previously cited a Justice Department statement saying the Epstein files contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” about the president.

Redactions and criticism

In recent weeks, the Justice Department has removed and reuploaded thousands of pages to correct improperly redacted victim names, including documents related to the two women who separately said they were around 13 when Epstein first abused them.

Robert Glassman, who represents the second woman, criticized the department’s handling of the files.

“This whole thing is ridiculous,” he told NPR. “The DOJ was ordered to release information to the public to be transparent about Epstein and Maxwell's criminal enterprise network.”

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