US Justice Department releases new documents in Epstein case with references to Trump
The US Department of Justice has released new Federal Bureau of Investigation documents related to the allegations of sexual assault against US President Donald Trump. These materials were not previously included in the first version of the released files in the case of American financier Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sex crimes.
The department explained that some of the documents were mistakenly marked in the catalog as “duplicates”, which is why they were not available for viewing. After discovering this error, the Department of Justice corrected it and added the missing materials to the published archive.
Among the new documents are summaries and notes of three FBI interviews with a woman who claims to have been a victim of sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein and harassment by the current US president.
According to the documents, a South Carolina woman contacted law enforcement after Epstein’s arrest in 2019. She claims that the financier attacked her on Hilton Head Island in her home state when she was 13 years old. The alleged incident, according to one of the FBI interview summaries, could have occurred around 1984.
The FBI then conducted additional interviews with the applicant in 2019 on July 24, August 7, August 20, and October 16. These dates previously appeared in the catalog of evidence in the case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner who was convicted as an accomplice.
At the same time, the multi-million dollar archive of the so-called “Epstein files” initially released only a summary of the July 24 interview and did not contain any accusations against Donald Trump.
When publishing the new materials, the Department of Justice reiterated its warning that the documents may contain unverified or false statements.
“These materials may contain forged or false images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI was included in the materials that comply with the law. Some of the documents contain false and sensational allegations against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI just before the 2020 election. “To be clear, these allegations are baseless and false, and if they had even a shred of truth, they would have been used against President Trump long ago,” the US Justice Department said.
The release of the documents became possible after the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Donald Trump signed late last year under pressure from Republicans in Congress.
The document provides for the release of case files, but allows the Justice Department not to publish records containing data on victims, materials on child sexual abuse, or information that could harm active investigations or legal proceedings.
At the same time, the law expressly prohibits withholding information due to possible embarrassment, reputational damage, or political sensitivity, particularly when it involves government officials, public figures, or foreign dignitaries.
