16 Epstein files, including Donald Trump’s photo, disappear from US government website

PTC News Desk: At least 16 files containing records related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein vanished from the US Justice Department’s public website less than 24 hours after being uploaded, including one that featured US President Donald Trump.

The materials, which were posted on Friday and were no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of artwork depicting obscene women and a photograph showing Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell. That image appeared among a collection of photos displayed on furniture and inside drawers. The Justice Department has not clarified whether the files were removed intentionally or by mistake and has issued no public explanation. A spokesperson also did not respond to media queries.

The unexplained disappearance sparked online speculation about what was taken down and why, further intensifying longstanding public scrutiny of Epstein and the powerful individuals who associated with him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee drew attention to the missing Trump image in a post on X, asking, “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

The broader release of thousands of Epstein-related documents referenced several prominent figures, including former US President Bill Clinton. However, Trump’s name appeared largely absent from the written records, despite his previously reported social links to Epstein.

Key documents missing

Several highly anticipated records — including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memoranda detailing charging decisions — were not part of the release. Their absence reignited questions about how prosecutors handled the case in the mid-2000s, when Epstein reached a plea deal that allowed him to plead guilty to a minor state prostitution charge instead of facing federal sex trafficking counts.

Other well-known figures connected to Epstein, such as Britain’s former Prince Andrew, were mentioned only briefly, raising further doubts about the scope of scrutiny applied to those in his circle.

While the newly released files did include some previously unseen material — such as a 1996 complaint alleging Epstein stole photographs of children and details suggesting why federal prosecutors later dropped plans for prosecution — much of the release was dominated by images of Epstein’s homes in New York and the US Virgin Islands, along with scattered photographs of celebrities and politicians.

Survivors express frustration

Many of the documents were heavily redacted or lacked essential context. One 119-page file labelled “Grand Jury–NY” was entirely blacked out. Prosecutors have also acknowledged that millions of pages of records exist from sex-trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, with only a small portion overlapping with documents made public so far, deepening frustration among survivors over delays and limited disclosure.