Trump’s Epstein Photo Reinstated by US DOJ
A photo of US President Donald Trump, which had been removed from a collection of files related to Jeffrey Epstein released by the Department of Justice, was reinstated on Sunday after officials verified that no victims of Epstein were shown in the image, according to the department. The image depicts a desk with an open drawer that holds a photograph of Trump alongside several women. This image has been flagged by the Southern District of New York for review as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard potential victims. In a statement shared on its official X account, the Justice Department remarked: “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.”
On Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that his office had taken down the photograph because of concerns regarding the women depicted in the image. During a Sunday morning Blanche emphasized that the move was not connected to Trump himself. “It has nothing to do with President Trump,” Blanche said, as reported. Blanche stated that several photographs were removed following their release on Friday. “There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday,” he said, explaining that a judge in New York had ordered the department to consult any victim or victims’ rights group if concerns were raised about the material being made public, reported.
Blanche stated that the Justice Department could not fulfill the December 19 deadline for a full release of documents due to the extensive amount of material and the limitations set by a federal judge in Manhattan to protect the identities of victims. The limited disclosure of documents, coupled with significant redactions, drew swift condemnation from various lawmakers. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party have charged the administration with breaching the Epstein Files Transparency Act and providing protection to President Donald Trump.
Representative Jamie Raskin voiced similar concerns. During an appearance Raskin stated that the administration was “covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn’t want to go public,” as reported. The Justice Department unveiled thousands of documents on Friday concerning Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who took his own life in 2019 while in custody. On Saturday, as many as 16 photographs, including the one depicting the desk drawer with the Trump photo, were taken down from the Justice Department’s website.
