After receiving major backlash online and from the critics, the US Department of Justice said on Sunday that it had restored an image it removed a day earlier from the trove of Epstein Files.
After receiving major backlash online and from the critics, the US Department of Justice said on Sunday that it had restored an image it removed a day earlier from the trove of
Epstein Files. The DoJ maintained that the photograph, which featured US President Donald Trump, was restored after it was concluded that it posed no risk of public exposure of the late convicted sex offender.
In its statement on Sunday, the Justice Department maintained that the image was flagged by federal prosecutors in New York for potentially exposing victims of Epstein. However, the department’s unexplained removal on Saturday triggered a chorus of accusations from the
Democrats about evident political interference in favour of the president, a former friend of Epstein.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review,” the department said in a statement on X, formally known as Twitter. “After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction,” it furthered.
DoJ comes into Trump’s defence
Earlier on Sunday, the US Deputy Attorney General,
Todd Blanche, made it clear that removing photos from Friday’s Epstein files release, including one of Trump, has “nothing to do” with the president. He insisted that the images would most likely go back on the DoJ website if it is determined whether they need redaction.
Blanche noted that the 16 removals came at the request of victim advocacy groups. “We don’t have perfect information,” Blanche told NBC News on Sunday. “And so when, when we hear from victims-rights groups about this type of photograph, we pull it down and investigate.”
Blanche stated that the investigation into the photos was ongoing, and they “will go back up,” with the only question being “whether there will be redactions”. Meanwhile, victims’ rights advocate Gloria Allred told CNN on Saturday that the “system has failed the survivors”, including with the release of files that may have been “under-redacted”.
“I saw a number of survivors’ names which should never have been published, because the whole point is to protect the survivors,” she told the outlet. “The other concern I have also has to do with the images of some of the potential victims and survivors, that some of those images were not redacted, should have been redacted, and in some cases, the images may be of women unclothed. And that is completely unacceptable,” she furthered. Hence, the controversy over the DoJ’s redactions in the Epstein Files remains.
End of Article
