US Department of JusticePortions of Epstein's files, including a photo of Donald Trump, were removed by the Justice Department from its website because of concerns raised by victims, the deputy attorney general said Sunday.
The image depicting Trump was later restored after review, said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Mr Blanche rejected criticism that the deletion was linked to the US president and said the photo showing him also included unedited images of women.
At least 13 of the thousands of files posted Friday related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had disappeared from the site by Saturday without explanation.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee questioned the removal of the images. In a social media post, they asked Attorney General Pam Bondi, “What else is being hidden?”
This was reported by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). in a post on X on Sunday that Trump's image had been flagged by the Southern District of New York “for possible further action to protect victims.”
He added that the image had been temporarily removed for future viewing “out of an abundance of caution.”
“After review, it was determined that there was no evidence that the photograph depicted any of Epstein’s victims and it was republished without any changes or edits,” the Justice Department said. link to the corresponding image on your website..
The photo was taken in one of Epstein's homes and shows a collection of framed photographs on a cabinet, many of them featuring famous people, US officials said.
There is an open drawer filled with other photographs, one of which shows the president with Epstein, first lady Melania Trump and convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Blanche called the suggestion that the photo was removed because of Trump “ridiculous.” “This has nothing to do with President Trump,” he told NBC News.
“There are dozens of photographs of President Trump already released to the public showing him with Mr. Epstein.”
He added: “So the absurdity of us removing a photo, a single photo, just because President Trump was in it is laughable.”
Blanche cited a judge in New York who “ordered us to listen to any victim or victims' rights group if they have concerns” as the reason for removing some previously published files.
“Several photos were removed after being posted on Friday,” he said.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing against Epstein, and Epstein's victims have not accused him of any crimes. There is no suggestion that these photographs imply any wrongdoing.
The Ministry of Justice has already come under criticism for not releasing all the files by Friday's deadline, as required by law.
The Justice Department documents, which include photographs, videos and investigative materials related to Epstein, were highly anticipated after Congress passed a law requiring their full release by Friday.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who led the campaign to release the files, said he was disappointed by the Trump administration's response and that his goal was to get justice for the victims.
He said he was preparing contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“They're flouting the spirit and letter of the law,” he told CBS News on Sunday. “The position they have taken is very worrying. I will not rest until the survivors are satisfied.”
Ten of the missing files include images appearing to show the same room in Epstein's home – a small massage parlor with clouds painted on the ceiling and brown-patterned wallpaper dotted with scores of naked bodies. Some appear to be photographs, others appear to be works of art.
The faces of most of the women depicted on the wall have been edited. However, in one file, one face is edited out, but is clearly visible in the other three. The other face remains unedited in all files, although a drawn image of the same person is visible.
The documents released Friday came to light as a result of a congressional action that forced the Justice Department to release them.
The Justice Department said it would comply with Congress' request to release the documents, with some caveats.
He redacted personal information about Epstein's victims, material depicting child sexual abuse, material depicting physical abuse, any records that would “jeopardize an active federal investigation,” or any classified documents that must remain secret to protect “national defense or foreign policy.”
However, many of the published documents have been heavily redacted.
There was little new information about Epstein's crimes, and things like internal Justice Department memos about charging decisions were not included in the released files.
Additional reporting by Alison Benjamin and Benedict Garman.
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