DOJ will probe reports of missing Epstein files about Trump accuser - USA Today
The Justice Department is investigating whether it improperly withheld FBI files related to allegations by a woman who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, with three interview summaries from 2019 missing from the released documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Although the FBI conducted four interviews with the woman, only one summary was made publicly available, raising concerns about potential withholding of over 50 pages of related material. The DOJ’s review follows reports confirming the absence of these files from the recent release of Epstein-related documents.
DOJ looking into reportedly missing Epstein files about Trump accuser
Three 2019 FBI interview summaries with a woman who had accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her are missing from the 'Epstein Files.'
WASHINGTON − The Justice Department will look into whether it improperly withheld FBI files that contained allegations against President Donald Trump in its release of millions of pages of investigative files it released recently related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to media reports.
Three summaries of interviews the FBI conducted in 2019 with a woman who had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her appear to be missing from the "Epstein Library" files released to the public in recent months, according to independent journalist Roger Sollenberger, NPR and other news outlets.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said he had confirmed the media reports and that the Justice Department withheld more than 50 pages of material dealing with the woman's claims from more than 3 million Epstein-related documents it has released.
The woman had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her many years earlier while she was a minor. No evidence has emerged publicly to corroborate her accusation, and Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, who was a longtime friend before the two had a falling out several decades ago.
The existence of the summaries, known informally as 302 reports, was noted in a Justice Department index included in the document release in response to a law passed by Congress known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, according to Sollenberger, NPR and other media reports. But while the index indicated federal agents interviewed the woman on four occasions and wrote up a summary for each, only one of the four summaries was included in the release.
The Associated Press first reported the new move by the DOJ to look into the matter on Feb. 26. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by USA TODAY.
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