Washington, United States. A senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said the Justice Department withheld FBI interviews with a woman who accused President Donald Trump of sexually abusing her as a minor from publicly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Allegation of withheld FBI interview material
Representative Robert Garcia said he confirmed media reports from National Public Radio and independent journalist Roger Sollenberger that the Justice Department withheld more than 50 pages of material dealing with the woman’s claims from more than 3 million Epstein-related documents it has released. The New York Times subsequently published a story.
Reuters has not independently verified the reports.
White House and law enforcement responses
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said on Wednesday that Trump had been “totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein.”
Law enforcement authorities have not accused Trump of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Justice Department review and prior cautions
The Justice Department said it is reviewing whether any of its remaining Epstein-related documents were improperly withheld, and said they would be published if appropriate. The department has previously cautioned that the material it has released includes unfounded accusations and sensationalist claims about Trump.
Trump’s past association with Epstein
Trump socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s but has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and says he broke off ties before the financier’s 2008 conviction on solicitation of a minor for prostitution.
Garcia letter cites multiple FBI interviews
Garcia said the withheld material showed that the FBI took the woman’s allegations seriously and interviewed the woman four times but only released the first interview, which did not detail her accusations against Trump.
“The fact that DOJ is suppressing documents alleging President Trump’s commission of sexual abuse of an underage victim only heightens my genuine concerns about a White House cover-up,” Garcia wrote in a letter to the department.
Document processing and disclosure timeline
The Justice Department has struggled to process the millions of Epstein-related documents and missed the month-long timeline for their release set by Congress. The department says it has withheld material that could compromise the identity of Epstein’s victims or jeopardize ongoing investigations.
What information, if any, does the Justice Department plan to publish next as it reviews whether documents were improperly withheld?