AT A GLANCE
• FBI interview summaries tied to a woman accusing Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault are reportedly missing
• The Justice Department says it will review whether documents were improperly withheld
• Democrats accuse the DOJ of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act
• President Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing
FBI Interview Records in Epstein Files Reportedly Omitted
Records connected to a woman who accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor are reportedly missing from the FBI’s files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to reporting from The New York Times, the missing material includes FBI memoranda summarizing interviews conducted in 2019 after Epstein’s arrest. The unidentified woman alleged that Trump and Epstein sexually assaulted her in the 1980s when she was underage.
An index published alongside the public release of the Epstein files indicated that the FBI conducted four interviews connected to the woman’s claims and created written summaries of each. However, only one summary was released by the Department of Justice, and that document referenced Epstein, not Trump.
President Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
DOJ Says It Will Review Missing Documents
Following public scrutiny, the Department of Justice said it would review the matter and publish any records “found to have been improperly tagged in the review process” that are legally required to be made public.
Under the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Trump after mounting political pressure, the DOJ is required to release all records tied to Epstein’s criminal case. Epstein was convicted of child prostitution in 2008 and was later charged with child sex trafficking before his death in 2019, which was ruled a suicide.
Lawmakers, primarily Democrats, have criticized the Trump administration for what they describe as a slow release of documents following the December 19, 2025 deadline set by the law. Although more than 3 million pages were released in January, only about 2 percent of the total files have been made public, according to congressional critics.
The DOJ has maintained that it is still reviewing the documents and making necessary redactions. The department has also faced backlash for redacting the names of wealthy and powerful men while failing, in some instances, to shield personal details of Epstein’s victims.
Oversight Democrats Allege Illegal Withholding
Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability say they have been examining the FBI’s handling of the allegations involving Trump for weeks.
“Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor,” members of the committee said in a statement. “Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the President of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House cover up.”
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D Mass., who serves on the Oversight Committee, told theGrio that the situation reflects longstanding failures to protect survivors.
“It comes as no surprise that the same institutions that have denied justice for survivors for decades are shielding the abuser who occupies the Oval Office,” Pressley said.
She added, “This is not what accountability, transparency, or healing for survivors looks like. The DOJ needs to stop breaking the laws and release the full files and that includes uncovering the names of all perpetrators.”
A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee echoed that criticism, saying President Trump continues to misrepresent his relationship with Epstein while his administration “works overtime to hide the truth about Epstein’s heinous crimes from the American people.”
“He and his administration must be held accountable for protecting pedophiles,” said DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer.
The Justice Department has not publicly detailed how or why the specific interview summaries were omitted. The review process remains ongoing.
