00:25A major review of documents
00:27from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation
00:29has revealed a significant gap
00:31in the Justice Department's public release.
00:35According to the New York Times,
00:36key FBI memos connected to a woman
00:39who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault
00:42were missing from the files.
00:44The woman came forward in July 2019,
00:47just days after Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges.
00:51She claimed she had been assaulted
00:53by both Epstein and Trump decades earlier
00:56when she was a minor.
00:58FBI records show agents conducted four interviews
01:01in 2019 to assess her claims,
01:04but only one memo covering allegations
01:06against Epstein was publicly released.
01:09The other three summaries,
01:11including those potentially involving Trump,
01:13were not included.
01:15The Justice Department says materials
01:17may have been withheld due to privilege,
01:19duplication, or an ongoing federal investigation.
01:23Officials have not provided a clear explanation
01:26for why these specific memos were missing.
01:29The public files include a 2025 summary
01:32noting the woman said Epstein had introduced her to Trump
01:35and alleged a violent encounter in the mid-1980s
01:39when she was 13 to 15 years old.
01:42The documents do not assess the credibility of her claim.
01:45Examination of the file's serial numbers suggest
01:49more than 50 pages of investigative material
01:52related to her account are absent.
01:55These gaps have raised questions among lawmakers and watchdogs
01:58about the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files.
02:02Representative Robert Garcia,
02:04top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee,
02:07confirmed the missing documents
02:08were also not provided to Congress,
02:10despite subpoenas,
02:12and plans are underway for further investigation.
02:16The woman, who later filed a lawsuit
02:18against Epstein's estate,
02:20described in detail being targeted
02:22as a teenager in South Carolina.
02:24She said she was asked to babysit
02:26on Hilton Head Island,
02:28only to be met by Epstein,
02:29who allegedly plied her with alcohol, drugs,
02:32and ultimately sexually assaulted her
02:34multiple times.
02:36In her initial 2019 interview,
02:39she also noted a widely circulated photograph
02:41of Epstein and Trump,
02:43which she allowed agents to photograph,
02:45but requested Trump's image be cropped out,
02:48citing fear of retaliation.
02:50The missing records deepen ongoing scrutiny
02:53of the Justice Department's public release
02:55of the Epstein files,
02:56which Trump had signed into law last year
02:59after bipartisan pressure.
03:01White House officials have repeatedly stated
03:03that Trump has been exonerated of any wrongdoing.
03:07Meanwhile, survivors' advocates
03:09and some lawmakers have criticized
03:11the redaction process,
03:12noting that while some victims' identities
03:14were protected,
03:16other documents appear heavily withheld.
03:18This story remains under review
03:21as the Justice Department examines
03:22which materials may have been improperly tagged
03:25or withheld,
03:26and whether additional documents
03:28should be made public.
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