A photograph exhibiting President Donald Trump’s face that was included within the launch of the investigative recordsdata on infamous intercourse predator Jeffrey Epstein — and greater than a dozen different recordsdata — seems to have been faraway from the Division of Justice’s web site.
The picture, launched on Friday together with a slew of different recordsdata, exhibits a desk displaying a big assortment of framed and unframed pictures and different objects. Amongst these pictures are not less than two that clearly present Trump’s face.
Lawmakers on Saturday had been fast to notice that the picture was lacking from the DOJ web site.
“This picture, file 468, from the Epstein recordsdata that features Donald Trump has apparently now been faraway from the DOJ launch,” Democrats on the Home Oversight Committee mentioned in a publish on X. “@AGPamBondi is that this true? What else is being coated up? We want transparency for the American public.”
The picture that includes Trump was among the many not less than 16 recordsdata that disappeared from the location, the Related Press reported Saturday.
Friday’s launch included solely a number of the huge variety of paperwork required to be disclosed underneath a deadline set by the Epstein Information Transparency Act, which mandated that the DOJ disclose all of the recordsdata. The DOJ continued its partial launch with extra recordsdata tied to the investigation early Saturday.
Congress is contemplating holding impeachment hearings about Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi and Deputy Legal professional Normal Todd Blanche if the paperwork that had been launched do not adjust to the legislation, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., mentioned Friday.
“What we’d like is a transparent timeline of when the remainder of the paperwork shall be launched and a proof for why they didn’t launch all of them as we speak,” Khanna mentioned throughout a press convention following the recordsdata’ launch.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who co-sponsored the Home invoice with Khanna that ordered the Justice Division to launch the recordsdata, on Saturday, accused the DOJ of brazenly disregarding the legislation.
“Evaluate Language of Epstein Information Transparency Act directing DOJ to offer inner communications concerning their selections Versus DOJ letter to Congress asserting privilege to omit supplies associated to selections, as a result of they weren’t specified by legislation,” Massie wrote in a publish on X.
From left, Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future spouse), former mannequin Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted intercourse offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose collectively on the Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Seaside, Florida on Feb. 12, 2000.
Davidoff Studios Pictures | Archive Photographs | Getty Pictures
Whereas Trump is a former pal of Epstein, the president has not been accused of wrongdoing. He has additionally denied his consciousness of Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage women and girls.
The looks of Trump’s identify and picture was noticeably scarce within the recordsdata made public Friday. Not too long ago, nonetheless, Trump has been proven in quite a few photographs that had been launched by Home Democrats, who obtained the images immediately from Epstein’s property.
The DOJ mentioned in a publish on X late Friday that it wasn’t “redacting the names of any politicians” and cited feedback made by Blanche reiterating such.
“The one redactions being utilized to the paperwork are these required by legislation — full cease,” Blanche mentioned. “Per the statute and relevant legal guidelines, we’re not redacting the names of people or politicians except they’re a sufferer.”
Blanche, who beforehand served as a legal protection lawyer for Trump, echoed that sentiment in an interview with ABC Information on Friday, saying that there was “no effort” to redact any point out of the president within the recordsdata’ launch.
The White Home referred questions concerning the lacking picture to the DOJ.
CNBC has reached out to the Justice Division in addition to Home Oversight Committee Rating Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., for remark.
Former President Invoice Clinton appeared in a number of images launched Friday, and it’s unclear when or the place they had been taken. One confirmed Clinton sitting in a chair subsequent to a younger girl, who sat on the chair’s armrest.
The previous president has additionally not been accused of wrongdoing.
Clinton’s spokesman, Angel Urena, on Friday mentioned, “The White Home hasn’t been hiding these recordsdata for months solely to dump them late on a Friday to guard Invoice Clinton. That is about shielding themselves from what comes subsequent, or from what they will try to conceal ceaselessly. To allow them to launch as many grainy 20-plus-year-old images as they need however this is not about Invoice Clinton.”
“There are two varieties of individuals right here. The primary group knew nothing and minimize Epstein off earlier than his crimes got here to mild,” Urena added. “The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re within the first. No quantity of stalling by individuals within the second group will change that. Everybody, particularly MAGA, expects solutions, not scapegoats.”
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.
