Mon Dec 22 04:43:43 UTC 2025: Summary:

The U.S. Department of Justice has restored a photo of Donald Trump that was initially removed from the cache of released Jeffrey Epstein files. The photo, showing a desk drawer containing a picture of Trump with women, was temporarily removed due to concerns about potentially depicting Epstein’s victims. After review, officials determined no victims were present in the image and reposted it unredacted. The initial redaction and the overall handling of the Epstein documents have drawn criticism, with some alleging insufficient transparency and calling for a full investigation.

News Article:

Trump Photo Restored to Epstein Document Cache After Review, DOJ Says

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reinstated a photograph of former President Donald Trump that was briefly removed from the publicly released cache of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The photo, showing a desk drawer containing a picture of Trump with several women, was initially flagged for review due to concerns it might depict Epstein’s victims.

“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,” the Justice Department stated in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the initial removal was out of an abundance of caution and had “nothing to do with President Trump.”

The DOJ released thousands of documents related to Epstein last Friday. The release has already been criticized by Republicans and Democrats, as some feel that the documents had been redacted too heavily, while others, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are calling for a full investigation as to why Trump’s name was mentioned so little in the files.

The New York Times, NPR, and the Associated Press reported that up to 16 photos were temporarily removed. The Justice Department claimed it acted with an abundance of caution after receiving requests from alleged victims and their lawyers to remove information.

Trump, who had a known friendship with Epstein, has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

Read More