‘This is a White House cover-up’: Democrats decry after 16 Epstein files, including Trump’s photo, removed from DOJ website

Democrats on Saturday (Dec 20) accused the Trump administration of a cover-up after at least 16 files linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were removed from the Department of Justice website, which were earlier released in public less than 24 hours before. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accused the DOJ of deleting the previously available file, including a photo of a drawer that contained documents and images, one of which had US Preesident Donald Trump. The removals were made without any explanation from the government or public notice, raising fresh questions about transparency surrounding the handling of Epstein-related records.

“This is a White House Cover-Up,” Oversight Dems wrote in a post on X. In an earlier post, they posted the image while questioning the administration over the transparency in the case.

“This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release,” the post read. “@AGPamBondi is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

The US Justice Department on Friday (Dec 20) started releasing a long-promised set of records linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, the documents were heavily redacted, raising questions about the transparency of the documents released. The files and images released by the DOJ had several mentions of former Democratic president Bill Clinton, with minimal references to US President Donald Trump.

While the Justice Department did not provide any clarification on the missing files, it said in a post on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”

After the release of the files, Democrats accused the Trump administration and the DOJ of violating the federal law that mandates public release of the documents relating to the investigation into convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, in a joint statement, said, “Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring. For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee’s subpoena. The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.”

The statement added, “Courts around the country have repeatedly intervened when this Administration has broken the law. We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law. The survivors of this nightmare deserve justice, the co-conspirators must be held accountable, and the American people deserve complete transparency from DOJ.”