US Justice Department restores image showing Trump that was removed from Epstein files

A PHOTO OF US President Donald Trump that had been removed from the cache of thousands of publicly released files relating to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been restored by the US Justice Department. 

The photograph shows a desk with framed photographs of Epstein meeting a number of people, including Pope John Paul II. Inside the open drawer of the desk, an image of Trump standing with a number of women can be seen.

In a statement on X, the US Department of Justice said the Southern District of New York “flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims”.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” they said. 

On Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC’s Meet the Press that “we are not redacting information around President Trump.”

When asked if any material was redacted to due to political sensitivities – which would be illegal – Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump, replied “absolutely, positively not.”

He said the decision to remove an image of several group photos, including the one showing Trump, had been taken over “concerns about those women,” said Blanche.

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Thousands of documents from cases against Epstein were released on Friday. But the public and victims of the late sex offender have expressed anger over the release, which contained many pages that were blacked out and photos that were censored.

Democratic lawmakers accused Trump himself of defying a law ordering the release of all files on Epstein, who amassed a fortune and circulated among rich and famous people.

“It’s all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn’t want to go public, either about himself (or) other members of his family, friends,” Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

The tranche of materials also included photographs of former president Bill Clinton and other famous names such as pop stars Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.

The Justice Department said it was protecting Epstein’s victims with the blackouts.

But the many redactions – and allegations of missing documents – only added to calls for justice in a case that has fueled conspiracy theories from Trump’s right-wing base.

‘Selective concealment’

Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has long pushed for complete release of the files, on Sunday joined in with the Democrats’ demands.

“They’re flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It’s very troubling the posture that they’ve taken. And I won’t be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied,” he told CBS’s Face The Nation.

A 60-count indictment that implicates well-known people was not released, Massie charged. “It’s about the selective concealment,” he said.

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Trump tried to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

The Republican finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress – including members of his own party – and signed the law compelling publication of the material.

Trump was once a close friend of Epstein, regularly attending parties together, but he cut ties with him years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing.

Accomplice in jail

At least one released file contained dozens of censored images of naked or partially clothed figures, while previously unseen photographs of disgraced former prince Andrew show him lying across the legs of five women.

Other pictures show Clinton lounging in a hot tub, part of the image blacked out, and swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes. She is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the former banker, whose death was ruled a suicide.

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, said on ABC’s This Week that justice officials must provide written explanation to Congress within 15 days about why they withheld any documents.

“It does appear, of course, that this initial document release is inadequate,” Jeffries said.

With reporting from © AFP 2025

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