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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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The Justice Department (DOJ) pushed back Tuesday against claims by House Democrats that it withheld documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that mention President Donald Trump, saying no responsive records were deleted and that all required materials have been produced in accordance with federal law.
The DOJ rapid response account on X posted that any documents temporarily removed from public databases were removed only to protect victims or redact personally identifiable information, and that they were later restored.
The DOJ posted, "@OversightDems should stop misleading the public while manufacturing outrage from their radical anti-Trump base. @TheJusticeDept has repeatedly said publicly AND directly to @NPR prior to deadline - NOTHING has been deleted. If files are temporarily pulled for victim redactions or to redact Personally Identifiable Information, then those documents are promptly restored online and are publicly available."
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Why It Matters
Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting further charges, had social connections with many prominent individuals, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with Trump saying their relationship ended years before Epstein's death.
Last year, Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, compelling the Department of Justice to release its investigative files on Epstein. In January, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ was releasing more than 3 million pages of documents in the latest Epstein disclosure, along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The files included several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.
What To Know
The response came after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, led by Representative Robert Garcia of California, accused the DOJ of improperly withholding FBI interviews connected to allegations dating back to 2019 and announced a new probe into the department's handling of the Epstein files.
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"For the last few weeks, Oversight Democrats have been investigating the FBI’s handling of allegations from 2019 of sexual assault on a minor made against President Donald Trump by a survivor. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor," committee Democrats said on X.
The Justice Department said it has released all responsive records, except those that are duplicative, legally privileged, or tied to an ongoing federal investigation, and rejected Democratic claims as misleading.
What People Are Saying
DOJ Rapid Response, on X: "ALL responsive documents have been produced unless a document falls within one of the following categories: duplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation."
House Oversight Committee Democrats, on X: "Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the President of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House cover up."
What Happens Next
Garcia said House Oversight Committee Democrats will open a parallel investigation into the allegations that the DOJ withheld the survivor's interviews with the FBI.
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Update 2/24/26, 6:02 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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