WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's public database of the Epstein Files includes an allegation that former President Donald Trump abused a minor decades ago, but documents from an apparent FBI investigation into this claim are not publicly available, despite a law requiring their disclosure. A compilation of accusations against prominent figures, assembled by the Justice Department last summer from its investigatory files on Jeffrey Epstein, features an unidentified accuser who stated: "Epstein introduced her to Trump who subsequently forced her head down to his exposed penis which she subsequently bit. In response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out."
Congressional Review and Allegations of Withholding
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, reviewed unredacted Epstein files this week at a facility set up by the Justice Department for members of Congress. He said Tuesday that FBI forms detailing interviews with the Trump accuser have been omitted from the public database. "Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes," Garcia stated. "Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the President of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House cover up."
Additional Congressional Insights
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), another member of the Oversight Committee, also reviewed some unredacted Epstein files on Monday and saw documents indicating the FBI followed up on tips about the accusation against Trump. "It's clear that the FBI investigated this case and found it to be a credible case," Stansbury told HuffPost. "I can tell you unequivocally the FBI investigated it."
Justice Department's Response
When asked for comment, the Justice Department referred to a social media post responding to Democrats, insisting nothing has been improperly withheld. "If files are temporarily pulled for victim redactions or to redact Personally Identifiable Information, then those documents are promptly restored online and are publicly available," the department said. "ALL responsive documents have been produced unless a document falls within one of the following categories: duplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation."
Legal and Transparency Concerns
Members of Congress have previously complained about the Trump administration withholding some Epstein material, contrary to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed both chambers of Congress last fall. The department withholding information about the president would be a significant development. A story from National Public Radio on Tuesday, building on earlier work by independent journalist Roger Sollenberger, detailed public evidence that certain documents are missing.
Details of the Allegation and Missing Evidence
The news outlets reported that the Trump accusation in the summary file matches an FBI tip intake form from 2019, when the Justice Department was pressing sex trafficking charges against Epstein. The form indicated the incident supposedly happened around 35 years ago in New Jersey, when the victim would have been 13 or 14. Biographical details of the accuser, said to have lived in South Carolina, align with those of an unnamed Epstein accuser from that state who joined a civil lawsuit against Epstein's estate in 2019.
"Jane Doe 4 was brutally and forcibly battered, assaulted, and raped by these other men she met through Epstein," that complaint stated. "On one occasion, one of these prominent men forcibly slapped Jane Doe 4 in the face after she was forced to perform oral sex on him. This same man forcibly raped her, penetrating her both vaginally and anally. On information and belief, Epstein was aware of and, indeed encouraged, the assault of Jane Doe 4 by these other men."
Jane Doe 4's account in the civil complaint of how she met Epstein matches an FBI summary of a 2019 interview with an Epstein victim. As Sollenberger first noted, a serial number on the interview summary appears in a spreadsheet of witness material from the trial of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. That spreadsheet indicates the FBI interviewed the witness three additional times and provided the documents to Maxwell's defense team. However, no documents with the relevant serial numbers were available in the Epstein library database when HuffPost searched on Tuesday, even though the numbers are listed in the spreadsheet. NPR reported "dozens" of other evidence documents are missing from the public database.
Political Reactions and Investigations
The Justice Department has insisted it has fully complied with a law, passed by overwhelming margins in Congress last year, requiring the release of the files. However, Democrats and a handful of Republicans led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have argued the DOJ is not complying with the law. Massie told reporters he hadn't looked at the Trump accusation. "I've got a lot of other ones I'm looking into," Massie said.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) called it a serious accusation but suggested it's possible Democrats are misinterpreting the files, pointing to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) listing names of men he mistakenly believed were Epstein co-conspirators. "We take it seriously. We'll look and see," Comer told HuffPost. "I haven't seen a lot out of some of the Democrats on the Oversight Committee that would lead me to believe they're tremendous investigators."
