16 Epstein Files, Including Photo of Donald Trump, Disappear from DOJ’s Website Shortly After Release By Raven Brunner 75

Numerous files shared by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the investigations into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein have seemingly disappeared — including one featuring Donald Trump.

Thousands of files were released on Friday, Dec. 19, one month after the president signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the DOJ to make all documents related to the investigations publicly available and searchable. 

A day later, at least 16 of the files were removed from the DOJ webpage, including a photograph of Trump, 79, the Associated Press reported.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche responded to the removal during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, claiming that the files were removed to protect victims.

“There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday,” he said. “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.”

“So when we hear concerns — whether it’s photographs of women that we do not believe are victims or we didn’t have information to show that they were victims, but we learned that there are concerns, of course — we’re taking that photograph down, and we’re going to address it,” the attorney general continued.

“If we need to redact faces or other information, we will, and then we’ll put it back up. So we are, in every way, shape and form, complying with the statute,” Blanche, 51, added, before he claimed that Trump has “nothing” to hide regarding the Epstein files. 

Blanche also said during his Meet the Press spot, “You should not be surprised that the material that we released on Friday, or the material that we’re going to release over the next couple of weeks, is exactly what the statute requires us to release.”

When reporter Kristen Welker asked Blanche to confirm that the files were taken down “at the direction of a judge,” specifically mentioning a removed photo that seemingly showed a desk with an open drawer that contained a photo of Trump, Blanche responded, “You can see in that photo, there’s photographs of women.”

He continued, “We learned after releasing that photograph that there were concerns about those women, and the fact that we had put that photo up. So we pulled that photo down. It has nothing to do with President Trump.”

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Blanche also addressed the delay in releasing the entirety of the files, stating that the statute “requires us to protect victims, and so the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that — to protect victims.”

PEOPLE reached out to the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs for comment on Sunday, Dec. 21, but did not receive an immediate response.

The DOJ’s release of files on Dec. 19 consisted of five different data sets, containing roughly 3,900 files.

They included a wide range of documents and photos, including a full scanned copy of the book Massage for Dummies, a fully redacted 119-page grand jury filing and a police report in which a young woman alleged that Epstein threatened to burn down her house.

Blanche previously announced that the DOJ would not be able to release the Epstein files in full, despite the Act’s requirement that all files be released within 30 days.

In a post on X, Blanche said the department needed more time to complete redactions in the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents related to Epstein’s investigation.

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“Additional responsive materials will be produced as our review continues, consistent with the law and with protections for victims,” he said.

The files released also include images of Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Michael Jackson and more high-profile celebrities and political figures.

Epstein died in August 2019 at age 66. He was found hanging inside a jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, where he was awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.