Numerous Epstein files have been removed, at least temporarily.Image: EPA
According to media reports, the US Department of Justice has taken tens of thousands of documents from the published Epstein files offline.
March 4, 2026, 12:25 p.mMarch 4, 2026, 12:25 p.m
Analyzes of the newspaper Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the broadcaster CBS News revealed that more than 47,000 files had been at least temporarily removed from the publicly accessible platform by the end of February.
Justice Department spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre said CBS News“no files were deleted from the library”. The documents from the investigation into the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were only temporarily taken offline for further review. The WSJ quoted a spokeswoman as saying that 47,635 files had been removed for this purpose and should be back online by the end of the week.
Missing documents on allegations against Trump
According to the WSJ, some of the withheld documents concern FBI notes on interviews with a woman in 2019. She testified that she was abused by Epstein as a minor in the 1980s and also made allegations of sexual misconduct against the later US President Donald Trump.
A summary of the statements and an initial FBI interrogation protocol were published. According to the WSJ, three other reports in which Trump is said to have been discussed are currently not online. The ministry has not yet given a reason for this. They are checking whether materials have been labeled inappropriately and will release them if necessary.
When the documents were published, a press release from the ministry said that the information in the documents had not been verified. Some allegations against Trump were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 presidential election and were “unfounded and false,” the ministry said. If they had had any credibility, “they would certainly have already been used against President Trump.”
What is missing?
The publication of the more than three million pages is based on the “Epstein Files Transparency Act”, which obliges the Ministry of Justice to make large parts of the investigation files publicly accessible. According to CBS News, photos from Epstein’s prison as well as images of computers and other evidence were also removed from the collection.
The ministry justified this with the protection of personal data and victims. However, MPs criticized that some redactions could protect more influential people. (sda/dpa)