- The DOJ will release more Epstein files mentioning Trump's alleged misconduct by weekend
- Over 40,000 Epstein-related files were taken offline for review and possible republication
- Withheld FBI summaries include unverified 2019 allegations against Epstein and Trump
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) is expected to release the next tranche of documents from the Epstein files, which include FBI records that mention a woman's unverified allegations of sexual misconduct involving US President Donald Trump, "by the end of the week", Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has said. The newspaper reported that more than 40,000 files appeared to be missing from documents published on the DoJ website. After the issue was flagged, a department spokesperson said 47,635 files had been taken offline for further review and would likely be republished.
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Among the withheld material were FBI interview summaries, known as Form 302s, documenting meetings with a woman in 2019 who alleged that both Epstein and Trump engaged in sexual misconduct when she was a minor in the 1980s.
According to WSJ, the claims in those documents have not been verified - like the ones mentioned in the January release. Trump has previously denied wrongdoing, saying the Epstein-related files "totally exonerated" him.
The Justice Department released millions of pages of Epstein-related material on January 30 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires most government records connected to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to be made public.
Some interview notes referring to the woman were included in the initial release, including one in which she alleged Epstein abused her in South Carolina. However, three additional FBI interview summaries - including those mentioning Trump - were not published.
The Justice Department has not explained why those documents were excluded, as per the WSJ report. Officials said the agency is reviewing whether some files were "improperly tagged" during the disclosure process.
A department spokesperson said the review was also intended to protect victims' identities and remove sexually explicit images before publication.
"This is the most transparent Department of Justice in history," the newspaper quoted a DoJ spokeswoman as saying, adding that all relevant documents would be published once redactions are complete.
Under the transparency law, the department can withhold files if they are duplicates, protected by legal privilege, related to ongoing investigations or unrelated to the Epstein and Maxwell cases.
However, the law does not allow documents to be withheld simply because they could embarrass public figures.
Democratic lawmakers in Congress have said they plan to investigate the handling of the files.
The woman whose claims appear in the documents also filed a lawsuit in 2019 against Epstein's estate, alleging he abused her as a teenager and trafficked her to wealthy men. The lawsuit did not name those individuals and was voluntarily dismissed in 2021.
The Justice Department has previously warned that some materials submitted to the FBI by members of the public may contain false or unverified claims.
