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New Delhi: The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is facing mounting scrutiny after Democrats alleged that at least 16 documents, including a photograph featuring President Donald Trump, were removed from the publicly released Jeffrey Epstein investigation files without explanation.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said a photograph labelled File 468 had disappeared from the DOJ website shortly after the records were made public. In a post on X, the committee said the image included Trump and questioned whether other material had also been withheld. "What else is being covered up?” the Democrats asked, seeking answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
According to reports, File 468 showed the contents of a desk drawer seized during the FBI investigation, including a photograph of a man resembling Trump wearing a white shirt and standing with several women, at least one dressed in a bikini. Another partially obscured image in the same file reportedly showed Trump, Melania Trump, and Epstein's close associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The photograph is believed to have been taken at Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in February 2000, before Trump and Melania were married.
The "mystery of File 468" has already triggered a firestorm on social media and in the halls of Congress. Democrats have also accused the DOJ of failing to release all records within the 30-day deadline mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which came into effect last month. They alleged that several documents were either removed or heavily redacted, undermining the law's intent.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described the handling of the release as potentially "one of the biggest cover-ups in American history", while members of the House Oversight Committee demanded full disclosure of all missing files.
The White House rejected the allegations. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the Trump administration had been "the most transparent in history", citing the release of thousands of pages of documents and cooperation with congressional subpoenas. She added that the administration had done more for Epstein's victims than previous governments.
The DOJ said some files were withheld or redacted to protect victims' privacy and confirmed that additional documents would be released in the coming weeks. Officials also cited technical issues, noting that the department's website crashed several times due to heavy public traffic following the release.
The Epstein files include legal documents, photographs, and investigative material involving Epstein and several high-profile figures, including former US president Bill Clinton and the late pop star Michael Jackson.
Trump has repeatedly said he cut ties with Epstein in the early 2000s and denied any involvement in Epstein's criminal activities, stating that he only knew Epstein socially.
