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  "path": "/news/1975784/doj-withheld-epstein-files-with-abuse-allegations-against-trump",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-26T02:49:46.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.dawn.com",
  "tags": [
    "Newspaper",
    "Ghislaine Maxwell"
  ],
  "textContent": "A woman wears a ‘Release The Files’ pin at an event attended by Epstein survivors, ahead of the State of the Union.—AFP\n\n**• NPR report says key records were catalogued but never released; include over 50 pages of FBI interviews with a female victim\n• Democrat calls withholding of files ‘illegal’; launches probe against Justice Department\n• Dept says unreleased materials are privileged or part of ongoing investigation**\n\nTHE US Department of Jus­tice has withheld Epstein files containing allegations that US President Donald Trump sexually abused a minor and also removed other related docume­nts from a public database, according to a report by the US _National Public Radio_ (_NPR_).\n\nAccording to the report, dozens of pages catalogued by the DOJ, including what appear to be over 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes with a woman who accused Trump of sexually abusing her as a minor decades ago, have not been made public as mandated by law.\n\nThe DOJ declined to answer _NPR_ ’s specific questions on the record but said that any unpublished documents are privileged, are duplicates or pertain to an ongoing federal investigation.\n\nFollowing the report, the top Democrat on the House Over­sight Committee said his staff had confirmed the discrepancy.\n\n“Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes,” Rep. Rob­ert Garcia said in a statement. Garcia announced a parallel investigation into the DOJ’s handling of the documents.\n\nWhen asked for comment, a White House spokeswoman told _NPR_ that Trump has been “totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein” and has “done more for Epstein’s victims than anyone before him” by releasing documents and cooperating with Congress.\n\nOne allegation detailed in internal FBI documents involves a woman who claimed that when she was about 13, around 1983, Epstein introduced her to Trump. She alleged that Trump assaulted her, and when she resisted, he struck her and threw her out, according to the report.\n\nWhile this specific claim appears in an internal FBI list and a slideshow, _NPR_ found that associated FBI interviews with the accuser appear to be missing from the public files. A review of case logs from the criminal trial of Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, indicates the FBI interviewed this woman four times.\n\nHowever, only the first interview, which does not name Trump, is in the public database. In that interview, the woman’s attorney said a photo of Epstein she provided was cropped because she feared “implicating additional individuals, and specifically any that were well known, due to fear of retaliation.” FBI agents noted the picture was a “widely distributed photograph” of Epstein with Trump.\n\nOther missing files relate to a key witness in the trial that led to Maxwell’s 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. That woman told the FBI she met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club as a minor while being abused by Epstein. She recounted Epstein telling Tru­mp, “This is a good one, huh,” to which both men chuckled.\n\n_NPR_ reported that the FBI in­­terview detailing this acco­unt was temporarily removed from the public database before being restored, while an interview with the woman’s mother that also mentions Trump remains offline.\n\nRobert Glassman, an attorney for the witness who testified against Maxwell, criticised the department’s handling of the document release.\n\n“The DOJ was ordered to release information to the public to be transparent about Epstein and Maxwell’s criminal enterprise network. Instead, they relea­sed the names of courageous victims who have fought hard for decades to remain anonymous and out of the limelight.”\n\nA DOJ spokesperson told _NPR_ the department is working to ad­­dress redaction concerns from victims, noting that due to the large volume of information, sensitive or personally identifiable information may have been inadvertently included.\n\n_Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2026_",
  "title": "DOJ withheld Epstein files with abuse allegations against Trump"
}