[ad_1]
Under heavy criticism over the alleged ‘coverup’ of files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Sunday re-uploaded a photo of President Donald Trump found in the possession of the disgraced financier.
The DOJ said in a social media post that the photo was removed from the website out of “an abundance of caution”, and said it was re-uploaded after a review found there was no evidence Epstein’s victims were depicted in the photo.
The U.S. Department of Justice said, “The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for possible further action to protect victims.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image pending further review. After review, it was determined that there was no evidence that the photo depicted any Epstein victims, and it has been reposted without any changes or modifications.”
However, netizens were not happy.
“Sorry we got caught,” one user on
Another user wrote, “I don’t know what’s more worrying, the attempted corruption, or the inability to get it done.”
The image in question shows a desk containing printed photographs recovered from Epstein’s possession. One of the photos printed showed the current US President and Melania Trump with the disgraced financier and Ghislaine Maxwell.
an alleged cover-up
The image was initially uploaded as part of thousands of files released by the DOJ on Friday, but was later quickly removed, leading to heavy online criticism about a ‘cover-up’.
Even as netizens fumed over the removal of the photo – File 468 of the latest release – Democrats on the House Oversight Committee joined the chorus, asking Attorney General Pam Bondi, “What else is being hidden? We need transparency for the American public.”
However, the removal of the Trump photo was not the only point of controversy, with reports over the weekend claiming that 15 to 16 files were removed from the DOJ website shortly after the latest release of the Epstein files.
As pressure mounted on the DOJ, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the department on Sunday, saying the termination had nothing to do with Trump and was done at the behest of victim advocacy groups to protect the identities of Epstein’s victims.
“You can see there are pictures of women in that picture. And so after that picture was released we learned that there were concerns about those women and the fact that we put that picture up. So we removed that picture. It has nothing to do with President Trump,” said Blanch, who has become the DOJ’s face for questions related to the Epstein files. nbc During his ‘Meet the Press’ program on Sunday.
However, it was not just the deletion of this one photo that sparked Americans’ anger: The freshly released batch of Epstein files were heavily redacted, including a completely redacted 119-page grand jury document, which critics said went against the nature of full disclosure mandated by the recently passed Epstein File Transparency Act.
Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania echoed the sentiments of many, writing, “The most transparent administration in history? These cuts are a complete mockery of Epstein’s abuse survivors and the American people.”
In response, the DOJ on Sunday released a version of the previously censored 119-page grand jury document with “minimal redactions,” adding, “The documents and photographs will continue to be reviewed consistent with the law and with the utmost care for the victims and their families.”
[ad_2]
