Washington: The US Department of Justice has restored a photograph featuring President Donald Trump to the public collection of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after temporarily withdrawing it amid concerns about safeguarding potential victims’ identities, according to a post on X shared by US Department of Justice account.
The disputed image was part of a recent tranche of Epstein files released by the Justice Department. It consisted of a snapshot of an office desk or credenza belonging to Epstein, displaying two photographs in a drawer — one showing Trump with a group of women and another showing Trump alongside his wife Melania Trump, Epstein, and his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell. It also contained photos of the disgraced financier with former President Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II, the NDTV World reported.
The Justice Department reportedly said the image was removed after it was flagged by the Southern District of New York over concerns that individuals in the photograph might be victims whose identities needed protection. The department said it temporarily took down the image “out of an abundance of caution” to review whether it complied with legal requirements for victim privacy. After this review, officials concluded that no Epstein victims appeared in the photo, and the image was reposted without any redactions or changes.
The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims.
Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no…
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) December 21, 2025
The removal of the photograph sparked immediate political criticism. At least 16 files in the released batch were reportedly taken offline around the same time, including several documents and pictures showing artwork and personal effects. Some Democratic lawmakers accused the Biden administration of selective transparency and suggested the removal of images related to Trump violated a law requiring full release of the documents. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said the actions appeared to be aimed at hiding information that Trump might not want public. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie also criticized the handling, saying the spirit of the law was being undermined.
Redactions were applied to those documents when they were filed in the respective court cases back in the day. We reproduced the documents as we had them in our possession. https://t.co/cZP31OPns9
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) December 21, 2025
The Justice Department responded by reaffirming that redactions and temporary removals were undertaken only to comply with laws designed to protect alleged victims, and that politicians’ names were not being withheld for any other reason.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, as quoted by NDTV World, that only legally required redactions were being applied and that names of public figures were not being removed unless they were also victims.
Trump has denied any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities.
