Trump Government Justifies Removing Docs From Epstein Files, Put It On ‘Protecting Victims’ | DoJ

The US Department of Justice's December 19, 2025, release of thousands of Jeffrey Epstein files, featuring heavily redacted photos and pages, spotlighted fleeting mentions of President Trump and pulled redacted images with Melania and women, while dominating with Bill Clinton in a hot tub and group shots with Ghislaine Maxwell and celebrities like Mick Jagger. Deputy AG Todd Blanche defended the deletions of 16 documents, including Trump's photo, as "victim protection," insisting no names were redacted and it's unrelated to Trump, whose past Epstein socialising is already public. Critics, including Democrats, cry foul over the timing and 680 blacked-out pages, accusing the administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act to shield allies.