At least 16 files have disappeared from the US Department of Justice’s public webpage hosting documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, less than 24 hours after they were released, triggering accusations from Democrats that potentially sensitive material, including a photograph involving President Donald Trump, was quietly removed without explanation.
The missing documents were accessible on Friday local time but could no longer be opened by Saturday morning, according to observers who tracked the release. Among them was an image catalogued as file 468, which Democrats say included photographs of Trump. The Justice Department has not publicly explained the removals, though it later acknowledged that the initial release was incomplete and said the full set of files would be published in “a couple of weeks.”
Missing Images Raise Questions
The files that vanished reportedly included photographs of paintings depicting nude women, as well as an image showing multiple photographs arranged along a credenza and inside desk drawers. The image identified as file 468 was listed in the DOJ archive under the reference EFTA00000468 and formed part of a large tranche released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
By Saturday, the archive appeared to skip directly from EFTA00000467 to EFTA00000469, suggesting the intervening file had been removed. According to the Associated Press, at least 16 files disappeared from the DOJ webpage without any notice to the public.
Democrats Demand Answers
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee raised the issue publicly, posting on X: “This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release.” The lawmakers directly questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking whether the removal was deliberate and what other material might be missing.
“What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public,” the post added. The committee has since demanded clarification from the Justice Department on why file 468 and other documents were removed and whether additional material has been withheld.
What Epstein Files Contain
The Epstein files released so far include tens of thousands of pages of legal documents, paperwork, and photographs. Among them are images of former President Bill Clinton lounging in a hot tub and swimming pool, as well as Epstein pictured with a range of high-profile figures, including pop star Michael Jackson.
Many of the documents are undated and provide little context, and inclusion in the files does not imply wrongdoing. Democrats argue that some of the most consequential records are absent, including FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memoranda explaining charging decisions that allowed Epstein in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.
The disclosures also barely reference several powerful figures long linked to Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew.
The photograph at the centre of the controversy reportedly showed an open desk drawer containing framed and unframed images, including at least two clearly featuring Trump. Other images allegedly showed Trump with young women and one with his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. While file 468 has vanished from the DOJ’s website, copies continue to circulate in open-source archives preserved shortly after the initial release.