An Associated Press investigation of the archives revealed that within a day of being posted, at least 16 documents associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein disappeared from a US Justice Department public webpage, including a picture of US President Donald Trump.
On Friday, the files were accessible; but, by Saturday, they were no longer available, and the government did not provide a public explanation or notice. Whether the removal was intentional or unintentional has not been made clear by the Justice Department.
Photographs of artwork featuring naked women and an image of photos arranged within drawers and along a credenza were among the missing materials.
A picture of Trump, Epstein, Melania Trump, and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, showed up in one drawer image.
When asked why the files were removed, the Justice Department did not reply. A request for response was not immediately answered by a department official, according to AP.
Online rumors about Epstein's inexplicable absence swiftly intensified long-standing investigations of his ties to powerful people.
In a post on X, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee mentioned the absent picture and asked, "What else is being hidden up? For the benefit of the American people, we must be transparent.
The incident heightened criticism of the Justice Department's larger document dump on Epstein, which is tens of thousands of pages long but hasn't provided much new information about his crimes or significant prosecutorial choices.
A number of eagerly awaited documents, such as FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos analyzing Epstein's years-long avoidance of severe federal charges, are missing.
These records might have provided insight into how detectives evaluated the claims and the reasons Epstein was permitted to enter a guilty plea to a relatively minor state-level prostitution crime in 2008.
The reports, which are required by a new statute approved by Congress, also hardly mention certain well-known individuals who have been connected to Epstein for a long time, such as the former Prince Andrew of Britain.
According to AP, the exclusions have raised new concerns about who was examined and who wasn't, as well as whether the revelation significantly improves public accountability.
New information has surfaced on the Justice Department's decision in the 2000s to abandon a federal investigation into Epstein, which cleared the way for his state-level plea agreement, as well as an undisclosed 1996 complaint that charged Epstein with stealing child photos.
Thus far, pictures of Epstein's residences in New York City and the US Virgin Islands, as well as pictures of politicians and celebrities, have dominated the records.
There are a lot of never-before-seen pictures of former President Bill Clinton, but not many of Trump. There is no proof that the pictures were used in any criminal proceedings, and both individuals have admitted to knowing Epstein but denied any wrongdoing.
The Justice Department stated that records would be released on a gradual basis, citing the time required to redact survivors' names and identifying information, despite a congressional deadline mandating full disclosure by Friday. It hasn't stated when more releases are anticipated.
Some survivors and lawmakers who supported the measure have been incensed by this strategy. "I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us," said Marina Lacerda, who claims Epstein sexually assaulted her at his Manhattan mansion when she was fourteen.
In 2019, Epstein was accused of sex trafficking by federal authorities; however, he committed suicide while incarcerated prior to his trial.
Only a small portion of the department's collection is represented by the documents that have been made public thus far.
More than 3.6 million records from investigations into Epstein and Maxwell were gathered by Manhattan prosecutors alone, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, many of which were duplicates of FBI evidence.
A large portion of the information that has been made public was previously accessible through court documents, congressional disclosures, or requests for freedom of information; nevertheless, it is now gathered in a single searchable area.
Records that have just been made public are frequently severely censored or devoid of context. One 119-page document with the title "Grand Jury-NY" was completely blacked out.
Some Trump-supporting Republicans emphasized pictures of Clinton with performers like Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Additional images feature Epstein with broadcaster Walter Cronkite, Chris Tucker, and Kevin Spacey. There are no captions or meeting explanations.
Grand jury transcripts, which show that federal prosecutors seemed to have a solid case against Epstein as early as 2007, are among the most important pieces of evidence. FBI agents testified about their conversations with young women and girls, including a 14-year-old girl in the ninth grade, who claimed to have been paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.
After opposing Epstein during a massage, one witness reported being beaten. Another said that Epstein paid her to recruit additional females after hiring her at the age of sixteen.
He would offer me $200 for each girl I brought to the table, she added. "I also told them that if they are underage, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18."
A subsequent Justice Department interview with Alexander Acosta, the US lawyer who managed the case and subsequently held the position of labor secretary during Trump's first term, is also included in the materials.
Acosta mentioned the hazy distinction between prostitution and sex trafficking cases, as well as uncertainties regarding jury views.
He remarked, "I'm not saying it was the right view," adding that perceptions of victims have since changed. "Victim shaming has undergone numerous changes."
The release, according to Jennifer Freeman, who represents Epstein accuser Maria Farmer, left her client feeling both devastated and justified.
Freeman described it as both a victory and a tragedy. "It appears that the administration took no action at all. Horrible things have occurred, and they could have prevented him if they had done even the slightest investigation.
(With assistance from the Associated Press).
