Deputy Attorney General says it’s ‘laughable’ DOJ would take down photos with Trump
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailDeputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday said it’s “laughable” to think the Department of Justice would remove a photo from the Epstein files because it features President Donald Trump. Blanche defended the fact that photographs were redacted after initially being released on Friday, along with records from the DOJ’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying their removal had “nothing to do” with Trump. “There are dozens of photos of President Trump already released to the public, seeing him with Mr. Epstein,” Blanche said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning. “The absurdity of us pulling down a single photo because President Trump was in it is laughable,” he said. “And the fact that everybody’s trying to act like that’s the case is a reflection of their true motivation.” At least 16 files disappeared Saturday from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Epstein – including a photograph showing Trump – less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation for their removal. open image in galleryDeputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the photographs that were included in the Epstein files and later redacted, saying on Sunday it was “laughable” to think the Department of Justice would remove a single photo just because it featured President Donald Trump (AP)open image in galleryThe files were uploaded Friday, but at least 16 were removed Saturday (DoJ)The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs on top of a desk and in drawers.In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.The unexpectedly missing files fueled online speculation over what was taken down, and what may be getting covered up as a result. Blanche attempted to put an end to the theories, defending the photographs that were redacted on Meet the Press. “There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday. That’s because a judge in New York has ordered us to listen to any victim or victim rights group if they have any concerns about the material that we’re putting up,” he attempted to explain, later noting he doesn’t know for sure if anyone in the photo was a victim of Epstein. He also noted that the files would later be added back to the department’s website. open image in galleryBlanche defended the images that were removed from the files, saying some were taken down after orders from a judge (DOJ)open image in galleryOfficials did not say whether the removed photograph showed any of Epstein’s victims (DOJ)“We are, in every way, shape and form, complying with the statute, which, by the way, is what President Trump has been asking us to do since before he was elected,” Blanche continued.“There is nothing that he has to hide in the Epstein files, there never was. And even though there’s repeated attempts by Democrats to paint him as being part of the Epstein saga, it’s failing over and over again.” Congress ordered the Justice Department to release all files related to the Epstein case by Friday, though only a small fraction have been made publicly available due to the sensitive nature of the materials. The files released Friday offered little new information about disgraced financier Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting his sex trafficking trial. Fresh accusations of a cover-up have since emerged after the photograph featuring the president was taken down from the Epstein files library over the weekend.
