Senior US justice officials have forcefully rejected claims that a photograph featuring former President Donald Trump was deliberately removed from newly released Jeffrey Epstein case files, branding the suggestion as "laughable".
Blanche Defends File Removal on National Television
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning to address growing speculation. This followed the discovery that at least 16 files had vanished from the Department of Justice's public Epstein documents webpage on Saturday, just one day after their initial release on Friday.
Among the removed material was an image showing Donald Trump alongside the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, former First Lady Melania Trump, and Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The photo was part of a series of pictures depicted on top of and inside a desk drawer.
Judge's Order Cited for Redactions
Blanche firmly stated that the removal of files, including several photographs, had "nothing to do" with Donald Trump's presence. He explained the action was a response to judicial instructions concerning victim privacy.
"A judge in New York has ordered us to listen to any victim or victim rights group if they have any concerns about the material that we’re putting up," Blanche told the programme. He noted he was unsure if anyone in the specific photograph was an Epstein victim, but emphasised the department's commitment to compliance. He confirmed the redacted files would later be restored to the website.
Political Motivations and Online Speculation
The unexplained disappearance of the files over the weekend ignited intense online debate and fresh accusations of a cover-up. Blanche directly challenged the motives behind these claims.
"The absurdity of us pulling down a single photo because President Trump was in it is laughable," he asserted. "And the fact that everybody’s trying to act like that’s the case is a reflection of their true motivation."
He further defended the former president, stating, "There is nothing that he has to hide in the Epstein files, there never was." Blanche positioned the DOJ's actions as fulfilling a congressional mandate for transparency that Trump himself had supported.
Limited Release of Sensitive Epstein Material
The controversy stems from a Congressional order for the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related documents by last Friday. However, due to the highly sensitive nature of much of the material, only a fraction has been made public so far.
The initial batch offered little new information about Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The removed files reportedly included images of paintings depicting nude women, alongside the photograph containing Trump.
As the Justice Department works to balance public disclosure with legal obligations to victims, the episode underscores the intense political scrutiny and conspiracy theories that continue to surround the Epstein case years after his death.
