The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a response after facing allegations that it illegally withheld documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein files, including FBI interview material involving a woman who accused Donald Trump of crimes linked to Epstein.
The controversy follows an announcement from congressional Democrats that they would open a new investigation into how the department handled the release of Epstein-related records. The move adds pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ as questions grow over missing documents.
The dispute centers on FBI interviews conducted in 2019 with a woman who alleged she was sexually abused by both Trump and Jeffrey Epstein when she was a minor. Reporting for NPR, journalist Roger Sollenberger suggested that only documents from the first of four interviews were released.
According to earlier reporting cited by The Wall Street Journal, notes from the interviews were included in a category labeled “non-testifying witness material” that was provided to attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021.
Some documents that have surfaced reference the woman’s allegations, including an FBI summary describing a meeting in the mid-1980s in which she claimed she was assaulted by Trump as a teenager. The document does not include any FBI assessment of the claim’s credibility.
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“Several individuals and news outlets have recently flagged files related to documents produced to Ghislaine Maxwell in discovery of her criminal case that they claim appear to be missing,” it continued.
“As with all documents that have been flagged by the public, the Department is currently reviewing files within that category of the production. Should any document be found to have been improperly tagged in the review process and is responsive to the Act, the Department will of course publish it, consistent with the law.”
Democratic lawmakers remain unconvinced. Rep. Robert Garcia stated, “Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes.”
The DOJ pushed back, saying: “ALL responsive documents have been produced unless a document falls within one of the following categories: duplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation.” The debate has intensified calls for transparency as lawmakers continue to examine the handling of the Epstein records.