DOJ restores Trump photo after backlash
Justice Department restored online Sunday Photograph The Jeffrey Epstein files contained images showing President Donald Trump after the reactions to the removal of this document.
The image, which contained two separate photos showing Trump, was removed from public view by the Department of Justice after it was published on the ministry’s website on Friday. The image showed a number of items on and inside Epstein’s desk or desk.
One photo showed Trump with a group of women, while the other was a well-known photo showing him with his wife Melania, Epstein, and Epstein’s now-convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
“The Southern District of New York has flagged President Trump’s image for possible additional actions to protect victims,” the Justice Department said in a post on social media site X.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. Following review, it was determined that there was no evidence that the photo depicted any Epstein victims, and the photo was republished without any changes or corrections.”
The Justice Department did not say what the Southern District of New York phrase meant. SDNY may appeal to both the federal judicial district that includes Manhattan, New York, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes federal criminal cases in that district.
On Saturday, congressional Democrats questioned the photo’s removal.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said in a post on “@AGPamBondi is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American people.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said early Sunday that the photo was removed from the website after learning there were concerns about the women in the photo, “so we removed that photo.”
“This has nothing to do with President Trump,” Blanche said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The disappearance of the files occurred despite a law signed by Trump requiring the agency to make the entire purported Epstein files public by Friday.
The image was posted on the Department of Justice’s website on Friday and was removed from the website a few hours later. The photo featured a collection of framed and unframed photos featuring Trump as well as other high-profile figures such as former President Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II.
“Whenever we receive notice from victims’ rights groups about such photographs, we remove the photograph and investigate,” Blanche said.
Earlier this month, SDNY Judge Richard Berman ordered the unsealing of grand jury materials related to the Justice Department’s 2019 investigation into child sex trafficking charges against Epstein.
This order included a provision for the Department of Justice to address survivors’ concerns about the contents of the files.
The Justice Department released only some of the documents and footage from the Epstein case on Friday, even though the new Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates the release of all DOJ files related to him and Maxwell by that date.
The Justice Department’s failure to release all materials by this deadline drew sharp criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Additionally, several Epstein victims criticized the Justice Department for allegedly failing to inform them of the contents of Friday’s broadcast; According to some reports, some survivors said the move could put them in danger.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. — Ro Khanna, D-Calif. — who co-sponsored the House bill directing the Justice Department to release the Epstein files — threatened to hold Justice Department officials accountable for how the release of the files was handled.
in an interview on Sunday CBS’s “Face the Nation” Massie said some congressional lawmakers are considering holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.
“The quickest, and I think quickest, way to get justice for these victims is to bring the inherent contempt for Pam Bondi,” Massie said.
