US Politics
Deputy Attorney General says it’s ‘laughable’ DOJ would take down photos from Epstein files because of Trump
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday said it’s “laughable” to think the Department of Justice would remove a photo from the Epstein files because it features President Donald Trump.
Blanche defended the fact that photographs were redacted after initially being released on Friday, along with records from the DOJ’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying their removal had “nothing to do” with Trump.
“There are dozens of photos of President Trump already released to the public, seeing him with Mr. Epstein,” Blanche said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning.
“The absurdity of us pulling down a single photo because President Trump was in it is laughable,” he said. “And the fact that everybody’s trying to act like that’s the case is a reflection of their true motivation.”
At least 16 files disappeared Saturday from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Epstein – including a photograph showing Trump – less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation for their removal.
open image in gallery
open image in gallery
The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs on top of a desk and in drawers.
In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The unexpectedly missing files fueled online speculation over what was taken down, and what may be getting covered up as a result.
Blanche attempted to put an end to the theories, defending the photographs that were redacted on Meet the Press.
“There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday. That’s because a judge in New York has ordered us to listen to any victim or victim rights group if they have any concerns about the material that we’re putting up,” he attempted to explain, later noting he doesn’t know for sure if anyone in the photo was a victim of Epstein.
He also noted that the files would later be added back to the department’s website.
open image in gallery
open image in gallery
“We are, in every way, shape and form, complying with the statute, which, by the way, is what President Trump has been asking us to do since before he was elected,” Blanche continued.
“There is nothing that he has to hide in the Epstein files, there never was. And even though there’s repeated attempts by Democrats to paint him as being part of the Epstein saga, it’s failing over and over again.”
Congress ordered the Justice Department to release all files related to the Epstein case by Friday, though only a small fraction have been made publicly available due to the sensitive nature of the materials.
The files released Friday offered little new information about disgraced financier Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.
Fresh accusations of a cover-up have since emerged after the photograph featuring the president was taken down from the Epstein files library over the weekend.