While the Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly released thousands of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia claimed that files related to allegations against President Donald Trump were withheld by his administration.
The files contain dozens of witness statements taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and the statements of three witnesses associated with the woman who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault.
A CNN review said more than 90 of those interview recordings are now missing from the tranche of files released by the Justice Department.
Robert Garcia said in a statement: “Oversight Democrats can confirm that the Justice Department appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who has accused President Trump of heinous crimes. Oversight Democrats will launch a parallel investigation.”
Garcia is the top Democrat on the House committee investigating Epstein and how federal law enforcement handled the investigation into the financier’s sex-trafficking allegations.
A Democratic representative told the news outlet, “We have a survivor who has made serious allegations against the president. But there are a number of documents, and it appears that there are possible interviews that the FBI has had with survivors that are actually missing that we don’t have access to.” Also read | How to review Jeffrey Epstein files: DOJ releases thousands of photos, videos, emails, PDFs as conspiracy theories pile up
Trump has repeatedly said he cut ties with Epstein two decades ago and was unaware of the late financier’s activities. He also denied any wrongdoing. Last year, Trump strongly opposed the release of the Epstein files, but after they were approved by Congress, he signed a law forcing their release.
Meanwhile, a Justice Department spokesman denied that any information related to Jeffrey Epstein was being withheld.
“We didn’t delete anything, and as we’ve always said, all responsive documents were created,” he said.
A Justice Department spokeswoman said the file, which contained all FBI interviews with the victim, had been temporarily removed so that redactions could be made and put back online. A spokeswoman said the department had not deleted any of the files and all documents were created in compliance with the law unless they fell into a category that warranted their retention.
The White House pointed to a Justice Department post on social media saying “ALL responsive documents have been produced” unless there is a legitimate legal reason to withhold them. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee “should stop misleading the public while creating outrage from their radical anti-Trump base,” the statement added.
