Victims outraged as U.S. authorities shield powerful names in Epstein investigation

Donald Trump’s administration repeatedly boasted of being, in his own words, “the most transparent administration in American history.”

However, according to reports, the president’s name was deleted from documents connected to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This comes as the U.S. government faces mounting pressure to make the case files public.

Bloomberg reported that investigators removed Trump’s name and the names of other high-profile figures, claiming that this information constituted an unwarranted invasion of privacy.

According to Bloomberg, citing three sources familiar with the matter, the FBI deleted the names of Donald Trump and other prominent individuals from government files related to Epstein. These deletions were carried out by an FBI team tasked with reviewing Epstein’s records for potential public release. They argued that these names, including Trump’s, were protected under privacy laws because, at the time the federal investigation into Epstein began in 2006, they were private citizens.

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that in May, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told the president that his name appeared in the files.

Ultimately, in July, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI declined to release any additional documents.

Public scrutiny over Trump’s connections to Epstein, the crimes of the disgraced financier, and the circumstances of his death has intensified.

In February, the White House released portions of Epstein-related records that were largely already public—an apparent show of responsiveness to calls for more information about Epstein and his death.

At the time, Bondi described the release as a “first step” and told Fox News that additional records—including the so-called “client list” of high-profile individuals alleged to have been involved in Epstein’s abuse of girls and women—were on her desk awaiting review.

However, in July, the U.S. government reversed course. Despite calls from Trump supporters for a full accounting of Epstein’s death and alleged ties to a broader child-trafficking conspiracy implicating powerful figures, the administration claimed there was no basis to revisit the disclosure of those documents. The DOJ maintained that further disclosure would not be appropriate or justified.

Reports indicate that in March, roughly 1,000 officers from field offices were mobilized for 24-hour shifts to review thousands of documents, including grand jury testimony, case files, and FBI investigative notes. They were instructed to flag any records mentioning Trump.

According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, FBI personnel identified numerous references to Trump’s name in these documents. The outlet reported that the records also contained the names of dozens of other public figures.

In preparation for a potential public release, a team of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officers reviewed the files and made redactions—including the removal of Trump’s name and those of other high-profile individuals.

The FOIA officers argued that the president’s name was removed because, when federal law enforcement began investigating Epstein nearly 20 years ago, he was a private citizen.

Victims accuse U.S. government of a cover-up

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons announced that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice in abusing underage girls, has been transferred to a minimum-security facility in Texas. This move has provoked angry reactions from several of their victims.

The Bureau of Prisons said that Maxwell—Epstein’s former girlfriend—was moved from the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum-security federal prison in Bryan, Texas.

Two women who said they were sexually abused by Epstein and Maxwell, along with the family of another victim who recently died by suicide, condemned Maxwell’s unexpected transfer.

They stated: “With horror and anger, we protest the preferential treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex offender. Without any notice to Maxwell’s victims, the government quietly moved her overnight to a luxury minimum-security prison in Texas. Ghislaine Maxwell is a serial child predator who has repeatedly targeted minors and should never be shown leniency. This reeks of a cover-up.”

Reports also suggest that Maxwell has offered to testify before Congress about Epstein if granted immunity from prosecution. She has also reportedly sought a pardon from the President of the United States—a president who was once a close friend of Epstein.