A photo from the publicly released Epstein files, which included US President Donald Trump, was removed without explanation from the Justice Department’s collection on Saturday.
The photo was one of 16 in file number 468, which disappeared from the Epstein Library shortly after the collection was uploaded on Friday.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee called on Attorney-General Pam Bondi to confirm that a photo featuring Trump was removed, asking, “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”
The removal of the photos constitutes a violation of Public Law 119-38, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, stating “No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
The deleted photos were part of the numerous declassified files and documents from investigations into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released in accordance with a congressional deadline given for the release.
In addition, various outlets claimed that one of the documents was removed and re-uploaded heavily redacted after initially being published in its entirety.
In the uncensored version, Trump is mentioned several times, along with Bill and Hillary Clinton and former prince Andrew.
Neither Trump nor any of the figures named have responded to appearing in the files.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act
The heavily redacted files were compiled into what the DOJ's website titled the "Full Epstein Library," complete with a search function and sections for court records, DOJ disclosures under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and records made public under the US Freedom of Information Act.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News earlier on Friday that the department would release hundreds of thousands of documents, but not the entire cache of files related to Epstein. He said he expected hundreds of thousands more to be released in the coming weeks as the department reviewed them to protect victims' privacy.
Reuters contributed to this report.