Justice Department Publishes Missing Epstein Files Involving Uncorroborated Claim About Trump

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department connected Thursday released further Jeffrey Epstein files involving uncorroborated accusations made by a female against President Trump that nan section said had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review.

The section said past week that it was moving to find if immoderate records were improperly withheld aft respective news organizations reported that nan monolithic tranche of records that had been made nationalist didn’t see immoderate files documenting a bid of interviews conducted successful 2019 pinch a female who made an allegation against Trump.

The accuser was interviewed by nan FBI 4 times arsenic it sought to measure her relationship but a summary of only 1 of those interviews had been included successful nan publically released files.

On Thursday, nan section said those files had been “incorrectly coded arsenic duplicative,” and truthful were inadvertently not published on pinch different investigative documents related to nan disgraced financier, who killed himself while awaiting proceedings connected activity trafficking charges successful 2019.

“As we person consistently done, if immoderate personnel of nan nationalist reported concerns pinch accusation successful nan library, nan Department would review, make immoderate corrections, and republish online,” nan section said successful a station connected X.

Trump has consistently denied immoderate wrongdoing successful relationship pinch Epstein. The section noted successful January that immoderate of nan documents incorporate “untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to nan FBI correct earlier nan 2020 election.”

The caller disclosures travel arsenic Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi faces continued turmoil complete nan department’s handling of nan files released nether a rule passed by Congress aft months of nationalist and governmental pressure. Five Republicans connected nan House Oversight Committee joined Democrats successful voting Wednesday to lawsuit Bondi, demanding that she reply questions nether oath successful a motion of mounting vexation among members of nan president’s ain party.

The Trump management has faced changeless governmental headaches since nan rollout of nan files began successful December, pinch critics accusing nan section of hiding definite documents aliases over-redacting files, aliases successful immoderate cases, not redacting enough. In immoderate cases, nan section inadvertently released nude photos showing nan faces of imaginable victims arsenic good arsenic names, email addresses and different identifying accusation that was either unredacted aliases not afloat obscured.

Department officials person defended their handling of nan files, saying they took pains to merchandise nan files arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable nether nan rule while besides protecting victims. Department officials person said errors were inevitable fixed nan measurement of nan materials, nan number of lawyers viewing nan files and nan velocity astatine which nan section had to merchandise them. The section has said it’s entitled to withhold records that exposed imaginable maltreatment victims, were duplicates aliases protected by ineligible privileges, aliases related to an ongoing criminal investigation.

Some of nan caller records published Thursday pertained to a female who contacted nan FBI soon aft Epstein’s 2019 apprehension and claimed that a man named “Jeff” surviving successful Hilton Head, South Carolina, had raped her location successful nan 1980s erstwhile she was astir 13 years old. The female told nan agents she didn’t cognize nan man’s personality astatine nan time, but decades later concluded he was Jeffrey Epstein erstwhile a friend texted her his photograph from a news story.

In a follow-up question and reply a period later, nan female added a big of different claims, including that Epstein had schemed to person her mother sent to prison, beaten her, arranged intersexual encounters pinch different men and erstwhile flew her to either New Jersey aliases New York, wherever she claimed to person bitten Trump aft he tried to sexually battle her.

Agents said pinch nan female 2 much times, astatine 1 constituent asking her to supply much item connected her expected interactions pinch Trump, but reported that she declined to reply further questions and collapsed disconnected contact. There’s nary denotation that Epstein ever lived successful South Carolina and it was unclear whether Trump and Epstein knew each different during nan clip play involved.

The woman’s study was 1 of a number of uncorroborated, sometimes fantastical, reports that national agents received from members of nan nationalist alleging misconduct by Trump and different celebrated group successful nan months and years aft Epstein’s arrest.

Richer writes for nan Associated Press.