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At least 16 files have disappeared from the U.S. Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing U.S. President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.
The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers.
In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) did not say why the files were removed or whether their disappearance was intentional. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Online, the unexplained missing files fuelled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him.
In a post on X, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”
The disappearance of the photos has deepened concerns that emerged from the DOJ’s much-anticipated document release.
The tens of thousands of pages made public Friday offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials.
Scant new insight
Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal DOJ memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.
WATCH | Partial release of Epstein documents draws criticism:
What’s been learned — and is still unknown — after release of some Epstein files
The U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of documents, photos and files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. But some Democrats are criticizing the partial release because the department had a deadline to release all of the files by end of Friday.
The gaps go further.
The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, barely reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountability.
Among the fresh nuggets: insight into the DOJ’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.
The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.
The dates and context of many of the photos are unclear, and being named or pictured in the Epstein files doesn’t, on its own, indicate misconduct or wrongdoing.
There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former president Bill Clinton but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships.
Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.
In a notice posted to the webpage for the documents, the DOJ said it made “reasonable efforts” to protect victims’ identities, but acknowledged some details may have slipped through due to the volume of information involved.
The notice asks anyone who believes they have inadvertently been identified to contact the department.
Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the DOJ said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors’ names and other identifying information.
The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.
That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress who fought to pass the law that forced the department to act.