WASHINGTON, December 20, 2025 — The Department of Justice began releasing files Friday related to Jeffrey Epstein’s life, death, and criminal investigations, but the rollout wasn’t without hiccups. NPR identified over a dozen files removed from the Justice Department’s “Epstein Library” website Saturday afternoon, including a photo showing former President Trump. So, what’s the story behind these disappearing documents, and what does it mean for transparency?
Files Vanish, Raising Questions About Redaction
The DOJ released Epstein files, then quietly removed some—including an image featuring Donald Trump—sparking concerns about what’s being hidden.
- The DOJ released a trove of Epstein-related files on Friday, fulfilling a congressional mandate.
- Several files, including one with a photo of Donald Trump, were removed from the website Saturday.
- The removals raise questions about the completeness of the release and the thoroughness of redactions.
- Members of Congress have expressed concerns about missing information and inadequate redaction.
The Department of Justice started posting files on its “Epstein Library” website Friday and continued through Saturday. But NPR discovered that more than a dozen files released Friday were no longer available Saturday afternoon. Among those removed was a photo showing President Trump’s image on a desk alongside other photographs. The removed files also included various works of art, some containing nudity.
Q: What is the DOJ saying about the missing files?
A: The DOJ acknowledges that, due to the sheer volume of information, the website “may nevertheless contain information that inadvertently includes non-public personally identifiable information or other sensitive content, to include matters of a sexual nature.” They have provided an email address for reporting improperly posted files.
The Justice Department’s website states that “all reasonable efforts have been made to review and redact personal information pertaining to victims, other private individuals, and protect sensitive materials from disclosure.” Despite this, the agency admits the possibility of inadvertently including sensitive information.
The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment regarding why the files were removed.
The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building on Dec. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Congressional Concerns Over Redactions
Several members of Congress have voiced concerns about the completeness of the released files. Representative Ro Khanna, D-Calif., stated, “There are powerful men, bankers, politicians who we know from survivors—they’ve told us this—who were at these parties where there were many young women, and a few were under age, and these powerful men knew about it, and they didn’t say anything.” Khanna emphasized the need for public accountability for those individuals.
Representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who co-sponsored the Epstein Transparency Act, criticized the redactions, posting on X that the release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.” He further warned that a future DOJ could potentially prosecute current officials for failing to fully release the mandated files.
This photo illustration taken in Washington, DC, on Dec. 19, 2025 shows a court document after the Justice Department began releasing the long-awaited records from the investigation into the politically explosive case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
While the removed photo of Trump is drawing attention, his name appears infrequently in the currently available documents. The files do contain a few pictures of him with women and a framed photo of Epstein and a redacted woman with a $22,500 check signed by Trump.
Previously released files from the House Democratic Oversight Committee revealed that Epstein frequently mentioned Trump—over a thousand times—primarily focusing on Epstein’s attempts to position himself as an insider with influence over the then-president.
