Epstein Files Are Missing Records About Woman Who Made Claim Against Trump
Documents released by the Justice Department briefly mention a woman’s unverified accusation that Donald J. Trump assaulted her in the 1980s, when she was a minor. But several memos related to her account are not in the files.
A recent review by The New York Times reveals that the Justice Department’s massive release of documents regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is missing crucial files. Specifically, the omitted materials pertain to a woman who accused President Trump of sexual assault.
The missing files are FBI memos summarizing interviews conducted following Epstein's 2019 arrest. The accuser alleged that both Epstein and Mr. Trump had sexually assaulted her decades prior, while she was still a minor.
While a publicly available index confirms that the FBI conducted four interviews regarding her claims and drafted corresponding summaries, the Justice Department only released a single memo detailing her accusations against Epstein. The remaining three summaries are absent. Additionally, the foundational interview notes for her case are missing, even though similar notes were provided for other potential witnesses and victims.
The exact reasons for these omissions remain unclear. Initially, the Justice Department told The Times that any withheld items were simply duplicates or legally privileged. They later added that an "ongoing federal investigation" might also prevent certain disclosures, though they avoided directly explaining the missing memos in this specific case. By Wednesday, the department announced it was reviewing the document release and promised to publish any improperly withheld files that legally require disclosure.
The woman’s unverified allegations of a 1980s assault by Mr. Trump are among several sensational claims against prominent figures found within the millions of released pages. When making the files public, the Justice Department noted that the collection contained all public submissions to the FBI. They explicitly labeled some submissions sent right before the 2020 election as "unfounded and false" claims against the president.
President Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing. A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, stated that Trump has been "totally exonerated" in all matters connected to Epstein. An attorney who previously represented the accuser in a lawsuit against Epstein’s estate declined to comment.
Ultimately, these undisclosed records amplify concerns over how the Justice Department is managing the Epstein files. The public release of these documents was legally required by a bill Trump himself signed following bipartisan pressure from Congress.
