A photograph featuring US President Donald Trump has disappeared from the materials published by the US Department of Justice regarding the case of financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Modern.az reports that Associated Press has released information on this matter.
According to the agency, at least 16 files were deleted from the official website of the US Department of Justice less than 24 hours after the documents related to the Epstein case were published. Photographs constitute a large part of the missing documents. One of them shows Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump, Epstein, and his assistant Maxwell together.
Maxwell was found guilty of human trafficking for the purpose of sexually exploiting minors in 2022 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
"The New York Times" reports that most of the other deleted photos were related to the massage room located on the third floor of Epstein's New York mansion, where crimes were allegedly committed according to the investigation. After journalists drew attention to the disappearance of Trump's photo, the image became accessible again on the Department of Justice's website, but only via a direct link. However, the photo is still not visible in the general list of files.
The US Department of Justice has not provided a specific explanation as to why 16 files, including the photo featuring Trump, were deleted. The Department only stated that the materials are “being reviewed and redacted as a precautionary measure in accordance with legislation.”
It should be noted that the publication of all materials related to the Epstein case was to be carried out at the request of the US Congress, and this process was supposed to be completed by December 19. However, by the specified date, the Department of Justice had only released a portion of the documents. The delay was explained by the large volume of materials and the necessity of redaction for the protection of Epstein's victims.
