Report: DOJ Withheld Epstein Files Accusing Trump Of Sexually Assaulting A Minor
President Donald Trump, his administration and his sycophants in the U.S. Department of Justice keep trying to convince us that files related to the late billionaire child sex trafficker and abuser, Jeffrey Epstein, are much ado about nothing, and that the controversy surrounding the files is the result of a “Democratic hoax,” despite the fact that it was Trump who campaigned on promises to release the files in the first place. And every time the DOJ manages to release a slate of files — which are always curiously rife with redactions — Trump starts declaring that what was released “totally exonerated” him, which indicates that the president doesn’t really know what it means to be “exonerated,” and if he were correct in his usage of the term, it wouldn’t exactly be true.
In fact, according to NPR, last month, when the DOJ released more than 3 million pages of files related to Epstein, it withheld files related to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor. The outlet reported that the DOJ failed to make some files public, despite a legal mandate requiring their release, and that the unreleased files include more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from interviews with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse that she said occurred decades ago when she was a minor.
From NPR:
NPR reviewed multiple sets of unique serial numbers appearing before and after the pages in question, stamped onto documents in the Epstein files database, FBI case records, emails and discovery document logs in the latest tranche of documents published at the end of January. NPR’s investigation found dozens of pages that appear to be catalogued by the Justice Department but not shared publicly.
The Justice Department declined to answer NPR’s questions on the record about these specific files, what’s in them and why they are not published. After publication, the Justice Department reached out to NPR, taking issue with how its responses to questions were framed. Department of Justice spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre reiterated DOJ’s stance that any documents not published are privileged, are duplicates or relate to an ongoing federal investigation.
Trump already looked guilty enough due to his administration’s highly publicized effort to block the release of the files, which, of course, failed, predictably leading to Trump insisting that he wanted them released all along — but now the DOJ is out here giving generic answers to inquiries regarding why files that might include child sex abuse allegations against the president are being withheld.
Either way, the House Oversight Committee is already on the case, with its ranking member, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), releasing the following statement:
“Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes.”
According to NPR, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have already been investigating the accuser’s allegation against Trump, and will launch a separate investigation into why the files pertaining to the allegation were withheld, along with other files, including files related to a different woman, who was a key witness for the prosecution in the criminal trial of Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, and is seeking a commuted sentence from Trump.
So, yeah — the so-called “Democratic hoax” is looking a lot less hoaxy, and a lot more like evidence that Trump has plenty to hide.
Who would have thought, amirite?
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