House Democrats Probe DOJ Over Alleged Withholding Of Epstein Files Mentioning Trump

House Oversight Democrats have opened an inquiry into whether the Department of Justice intentionally withheld materials from its public release of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case that reference sexual-assault allegations involving President Donald Trump.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the omission could violate a law passed in November that requires the administration to publish all files in its possession related to the federal Epstein prosecution. He also said the omission may run afoul of subpoenas the committee issued last summer as part of a separate investigation into Epstein-related matters.

What Democrats Say They Found

Committee Democrats say they identified missing materials after comparing documents publicly posted by the Justice Department with the evidence manifest provided to Ghislaine Maxwell's defense team. Among the items reportedly missing is a heavily redacted allegation, included in a slide-deck listing associates of Epstein, in which a person estimated to have been 13 to 15 years old in the 1980s accuses Trump of forcing her head toward his genitals and reacting violently when she resisted.

An investigative report by NPR published Tuesday said the DOJ appears to have withheld more than 50 pages of FBI interview notes and related material tied to a woman who alleges Trump sexually abused her decades ago as a minor. POLITICO said it did not independently verify NPR's reporting.

DOJ Response and Legal Context

The Justice Department pushed back on social media, urging Democrats to stop "manufacturing outrage" and asserting that nothing was deleted. The DOJ said documents may be temporarily removed for victim redactions or to redact personally identifiable information and are restored promptly. It added that all responsive documents have been produced unless they are duplicates, subject to privilege, or part of an ongoing federal investigation.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to the Epstein allegations. The DOJ and other outlets have noted that many documents released in the Epstein matter include unverified or context-light claims.

Congressional Access and Next Steps

Garcia said he viewed unredacted files on a DOJ computer under congressional access privileges. Because House Democrats are in the minority, the committee's current probe will lack enforceable subpoena power, though Democrats say they will continue to press the issue publicly and through oversight channels.

Separately, two House Democrats asked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Pam Bondi, who testified recently before the House Judiciary Committee, misled Congress about whether the publicly released Epstein files contained allegations that Trump committed crimes.

Political Reactions

Republicans on the Oversight committee accused Democrats of politicizing survivors' claims, saying Democrats cherry-picked documents and released images without context. A Republican spokesperson also criticized Democrats for opposing a November Republican resolution that would have formally reprimanded Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.), citing her past association with Epstein; Plaskett has not been accused of a crime and has characterized Epstein as a former constituent.

Note: Some reporting cited in this story, including the NPR investigation, was not independently verified by POLITICO.