NEW YORK — At least 16 files — including a photograph of President Donald Trump — disappeared from the Justice Department's public website containing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein less than a day after they were posted, without any explanation from the government or public notice.
Among the missing files, which were available on Friday but no longer accessible on Saturday, were images of paintings depicting nude women and one showing a series of photographs along a sideboard and in drawers. In this image, inside a drawer among other photographs, was a photograph of Trump alongside Epstein, Melania Trump, and Epstein's long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The Justice Department did not respond to questions about the disappearance of the files on Saturday, but said in a post on X that „photographs and other materials will continue to be reviewed and redacted in accordance with the law with great care as we receive further information.“
The inexplicable missing files online sparked speculation about what had been deleted and why the public had not been informed, further exacerbating long-standing concerns about Epstein and the influential figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image of Trump in the X post, writing, „What else is being hidden? We need transparency for the American public.“
This episode deepened concerns that had already emerged after the long-awaited release of the document by the Department of Justice. The tens of thousands of pages released offered little new insight into Epstein's crimes or the decisions by prosecutors that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched material, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos about charging decisions.
Little new information in the original revelations
Some of the most important records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department's initial disclosures, which include tens of thousands of pages. Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining the decision to charge — records that could help explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed to plead to a relatively minor state prostitution charge in 2008.
The gaps go even further. The records, whose release was required by a recent law passed by Congress, barely mention several influential figures long associated with Epstein, including former British Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was investigated, who was not, and to what extent the disclosures truly strengthen public accountability. Among the new revelations are insights into the Justice Department's decision to drop its investigation of Epstein in 2000, which allowed him to plead guilty to a state-level charge, and a previously unknown 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.
The documents released so far contained many images of Epstein's homes in New York and the US Virgin Islands, along with some photographs of celebrities and politicians. There were a number of previously unseen photographs of former President Bill Clinton, but very few of Trump. Both men were linked to Epstein, but both have since renounced those friendships. Neither has been charged with any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and there is no indication that the photographs played a role in the criminal proceedings against him.
Despite Friday's deadline set by Congress for the release of all documents, the Justice Department said it plans to release the records gradually. It attributed the delay to the time-consuming process of redacting the names of survivors and other identifying information. The department did not announce when the next batch of records might arrive. This approach angered some of Epstein's accusers and members of Congress who fought for the passage of the law, forcing the department to act.
Instead of marking the end of a long struggle for transparency, Friday's release of the document was only the beginning of an endless wait for a complete picture of Epstein's crimes and the steps taken to investigate them. „I feel like the Justice Department and the justice system are failing us again,“ said Marina Lacerda, who claims Epstein began sexually abusing her at his New York mansion when she was 14.
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