Epstein Files: US Justice Department Restores Trump Photo After Public Backlash

Washington DC: Following major backlash from public, the US Department of Justice said on Sunday that it had restored one of the images removed a day prior from the Epstein files. According to DoJ, the photograph, which featured US President Donald Trump, was restored following the conclusion that it posed no risk of public exposure of Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender.

According to reports by international media, the department said that the image was flagged by federal prosecutors in New York for potentially exposing the victims of Epstein. The removal of the photo, along with several others, on Saturday triggered a string of accusations from the Democrats about political interference in favour of Trump, a former friend of Epstein.

Amidst the backlash, the US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche came out to defend the US President, stating that removing photos from Epstein files, including one of Trump, has nothing to do with the President. As per reports, he insisted that the removals came at the request of victim advocay groups.

He also said that the investigation into the photos are ongoing, adding that the photos will go back up after determining whether they need redaction.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the DoJ on Sunday, one of Epstein's victims who had reported the sex offender to the FBI in 2009 said their name had been wrongly exposed in the DoJ document dump, but she had not been allowed to view her FBI file previously.

In an X post she wrote, “The contradiction is extraordinary. The DOJ asserts that my own file requires prolonged review to determine whether redactions are appropriate – yet it had no difficulty publicly releasing my identity in a mass disclosure.”

The photos were removed following earlier indications that the House Oversight Committee was preparing to release more materials related to the Epstein case for public.