The justice department insists that nothing has been deleted, stating that any withheld documents were duplicates, privileged material, or tied to ongoing investigations, and warning against what it called “misleading” claims.
BY PC Bureau
February 27, 2026: The political aftershocks of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation have erupted again in Washington, with a senior Democrat accusing the US justice department of concealing files that allegedly contain sexual abuse claims involving President Donald Trump.
Robert Garcia, a Democratic member of the powerful House Oversight Committee, said he had personally reviewed documents at the department that reference allegations not included in the material released to the public. According to Garcia, those records contain what he described as additional, specific claims made by a woman that are “not reflected” in the files disclosed so far.
The justice department swiftly pushed back, insisting that “NOTHING has been deleted.” In a statement, officials said documents were withheld only if they were duplicates, legally privileged, or tied to ongoing federal investigations. The department has previously maintained that some unreleased material contains “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump.
President Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein and has recently said he has been “totally exonerated.” The White House reinforced that position on Tuesday, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson arguing that by releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with congressional subpoenas, signing transparency legislation, and calling for further investigations into Epstein’s associates, the president has done more for victims than any predecessor.
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Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, had social ties with Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has said the two fell out years before Epstein’s first arrest in Florida.
The justice department has released millions of pages detailing what federal investigations uncovered about Epstein’s network. Those disclosures followed legislation signed by Trump after months of political wrangling over transparency. However, some documents were redacted, and officials have acknowledged that certain materials were withheld to protect victims’ identities or safeguard active investigations and prosecutions.
Garcia said that, as a member of Congress serving on the oversight panel, he is legally permitted to review unredacted files at the department. He alleged that an archive manifest and related records indicate that interview materials connected to one survivor were removed from the publicly released collection.
“We have seen the DOJ files and the archive manifest that clearly shows that the interviews and information around this survivor have been removed and are missing,” Garcia told reporters in New York. “Where are these files? Who removed them? Those questions have to be answered.”
Garcia added that Democrats on the committee would press in the coming days for the release of the remaining unreleased documents, including those pertaining to the alleged claims involving Trump. He previously wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding that the records be published in full.
In response, the justice department accused Democrats of “misleading the public while manufacturing outrage from their radical anti-Trump base.” In a separate statement posted on X, the department said it would review whether any files had been improperly withheld.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said lawmakers are still seeking clarity on the matter. “We’re still looking to get a definitive answer on that,” he said when asked about the alleged missing files.
The renewed clash underscores the enduring political volatility surrounding the Epstein case — a scandal that continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, years after the financier’s death.
