Kathmandu, The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially re-released several documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, including a controversial photograph featuring President Donald Trump and Melania Trump. The images were part of a batch of 16 files that had been temporarily pulled from the DOJ’s official website over the weekend, a move that sparked immediate political outcry. While federal prosecutors in New York initially flagged the materials over concerns that they might inadvertently reveal the identities of Epstein’s victims, the department confirmed on Sunday that a thorough review found no such risk. Consequently, the images—which include a photograph of Trump alongside Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell found in a desk drawer—have been restored to the public database without any further redactions.
The temporary disappearance of these files had led to sharp criticism from Democratic leaders, who accused the administration of attempting to shield the President from public scrutiny. However, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the department’s actions during a television appearance, stating that the removals were a “precautionary measure” taken at the request of victim advocacy groups. He emphasized that the DOJ is committed to full transparency while balancing the legal requirement to protect the privacy of survivors and minors. Despite the restoration of these specific files, the overall release of approximately 300,000 documents remains a point of contention; many lawmakers argue that the disclosures are still heavily redacted and incomplete, falling short of the total transparency promised by the recent Epstein Files Transparency Act. As the investigation into Epstein’s extensive network continues to be a highly polarized issue, the DOJ maintains that it will continue to review and release additional materials as quickly as legal safety protocols allow.
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