At least 16 files disappeared from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) public website for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted.
The files were deleted with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public, AP reported.
The documents were initially released on December 19 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law signed by Trump himself just a month earlier. However, less than 24 hours after being posted, several files have became inaccessible.
The missing files also included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, AP reported.
The Justice Department did not say why the files were removed or whether their disappearance was intentional. However, the “mystery of File 468" has already triggered a firestorm on social media and in the halls of Congress.
Democratic leaders have been quick to label the disappearing files a potential “cover-up." Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer characterised the handling of the release as potentially “one of the biggest cover-ups in American history", while the House Oversight Committee’s Democratic minority demanded immediate transparency from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Critics argue that the removals, combined with heavy redactions—including a 119-page grand jury document that was entirely blacked out—violate the spirit and letter of the transparency law.
In contrast, the White House has defended the administration’s record, with a spokesperson asserting that they have been the “most transparent in history" by facilitating the release of hundreds of thousands of pages. Trump allies have instead pointed to the numerous photos of former President Bill Clinton included in the dump as evidence of the administration’s impartiality.
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