US Justice Department releases ‘mistakenly withheld’ Epstein documents linked to allegations against Donald Trump

The US Justice Department on Thursday published additional documents from the FBI’s probe into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Among the newly released documents, the most notable is allegations made by a woman against President Donald Trump.

‘Mistakenly withheld’

According to the documents, the woman said President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein.

The DOJ said the accusations against Trump are uncorroborated and added that the documents had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review after they were marked “duplicative.”

Also Read | ‘Would have tuned Epstein in’: Clinton after House Oversight Committee testimony

“As we have consistently done, if any member of the public reported concerns with information in the library, the Department would review, make any corrections, and republish online,” the DOJ said in a post on X.

Allegations against Trump

In multiple 2019 interviews, the FBI held with the woman, she alleged that she was assaulted by both Epstein and Trump while she was between 13 and 15 years old.

According to AFPin one interview, the woman said Epstein took her to “either New York or New Jersey” and introduced her to Trump. She told investigators that she bit Trump as he attempted to force her to perform oral sex on him.

Also Read | Did Jeffrey Epstein buy a palace in Morocco a day before his arrest in 2019?

The woman said she and people close to her received threatening calls over the years demanding she keep quiet that she believed were related to Epstein.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing

Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to the Epstein allegations, and the Justice Department previously said some of the documents it has released “contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump.”

Trump and Epstein had been close friends since the late 1980s, and the two have been photographed together several times. One of the most controversial documents to come out of the FBI probe so far was a birthday note allegedly signed by Trump, which was included in a book for Epstein’s 50th birthday.

According to Trump, he fell out with Epstein over several issues, including a Palm Beach mansion, which both were interested in.

Also Read | Epstein’s survivor opens up about abuse, says he harmed me psychologically

According to The White House, Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago in 2007 for “being a creep” and harassing a member’s daughter.

Democrats have accused the Trump administration of covering up details of the Epstein investigation that could negatively impact Trump.

The release of new Epstein documents days after The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 40,000 files that were previously made public are missing from the DOJ website. A spokesperson for the DOJ clarified that 47,635 files had been taken offline for further review and would likely be republished.

Epstein Files Transparency Act

Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the DOJ was legally obliged to release all records related to Jeffrey Epstein by December 19, 2025.

So far, the DOJ has released around 3.5 million pages of documents, including over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to the FBI probe into Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. According to the DOJ, there are around 6 million pages of documents linked to the Epstein investigations.

Key Takeaways

  • The DOJ is legally obligated to release all records related to the Epstein investigation by December 2025.
  • Newly released documents include serious allegations against Trump, raising questions about the past friendship between him and Epstein.
  • Transparency concerns persist regarding the DOJ’s handling of Epstein-related documents and the timing of their release.

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