NPR: Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump
The Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor, an NPR investigation finds. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump.
Some files have not been made public despite a law mandating their release. These include what appear to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews, as well as notes from conversations with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago when she was a minor.
NPR reviewed multiple sets of unique serial numbers appearing before and after the pages in question, stamped onto documents in the Epstein files database, FBI case records, emails and discovery document logs in the latest tranche of documents published at the end of January. NPR's investigation found dozens of pages that appear to be catalogued by the Justice Department but not shared publicly.
The Justice Department declined to answer NPR's questions on the record about these specific files, what's in them and why they are not published. After publication, the Justice Department reached out to NPR, taking issue with how its responses to questions were framed. Department of Justice spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre reiterated DOJ's stance that any documents not published are privileged, are duplicates or relate to an ongoing federal investigation.
Following NPR's reporting, the House Oversight Committee's ranking member, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., released a statement about the missing files.
"Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes," Garcia stated.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have already been investigating this allegation against the president and will now open a parallel investigation into the DOJ's decision not to release these particular documents.
This collage shows photos of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on a plane, as well as black-and-white photos of students playing in an orchestra and a girl near a cabin. There are also fragments of documents showing over $350,000 in donations from Epstein to the Interlochen Center for the Arts.
But one lead was sent to the FBI's Washington office with the purpose of setting up an interview with the accuser. The lead was included in an internal PowerPoint slide deck detailing "prominent names" in the Epstein and Maxwell investigations last fall.
The woman who directly named Trump in her abuse allegation claimed that around 1983, when she was around 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump, "who subsequently forced her head down to his exposed penis which she subsequently bit. In response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out."
So why didn’t the Biden administration release all this when they were in power? Don’t think this is just a Trump thing,
ReplyDeleteA war distraction. Exactly, Rhonda. This administration's action mirrors the script of the 1997 movie "Wag the Dog." It's so obvious what is going on here.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of a political cartoon of several years ago. Two guys, identified as politicians, are staring at a pile of brown goo. One says,”What is it?” The other replies,”It used to be a dead horse.”
ReplyDeleteThat is what we have here. Trump’s adversaries had complete control of Congress and the public media and total access to the DOJ during the Biden years. They had similar access during parts of the Obama years. In any living person’s memory, there has been none better at finding or creating dirt on an adversary than the Hillary Clinton campaign. All Trump’s adversaries had no shortage of opportunity and access to produce smears, prosecutions, and anything dirty, valid or otherwise. They had full power to dig up anything they could and plenty of time to do it.
On this issue, they failed, but certainly not for lack of trying or opportunity or time. Nothing related to this issue ever was proven, even to themselves. But they keep on trying. In so doing, they continue to give politics a worse name and reputation than even Trump could.
This dead horse has been beaten beyond all recognition. It is time to give it a rest. Further beating splatters the goo more on you than on Trump.
Please return to showing us more and better clothing outfits during the week. I really like the cute outfits that you find and create. They work well for a wide range of ages and sizes, even mine. Your experiences working en femme are valuable lessons and examples. I appreciate the beautiful Saturday encouragement each week. I enjoy the photos of you with your friends. Can we get more of all these, please?
—Abby
Hi Abby. Thank your for your comments and being a loyal reader. That means so much to me. The dead horse may have become brown goo, however that does not change the depth of the goo. Call me idealistic; I do expect more than what we have. Telling a lie over and over does not make it truth and many are eventually fooled by that narrative. There are time I try and be a noise in the fog.
DeleteYes I do enjoy putting together fashion. For myself and sharing. Thank you. My overall mission is to encourage living a full life. No fear fosters no regrets.