Trump's Trials - NPR finds DOJ withheld, removed some Epstein files related to Trump

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

The Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor, an NPR investigation finds. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports. Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detrow, and this is Trump's Terms from NPR. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's coverage of the Trump administration with a focus on actions and policies that take the presidency into uncharted territory. Here's the latest from NPR. I'm Lela Faldon. And I'm Steve Inskeep. We've heard a lot of revelations about what is in millions of pages of Epstein files. Today, we have a revelation that the Justice Department never released.

An NPR investigation finds the government removed or withheld dozens of pages from the public database of Epstein documents. Those pages relate to accusations of sexual abuse that also contain mention of President Trump. It is the latest example of ways the Trump administration has not been transparent in its handling of the release of the Epstein files. NPR, Stephen, Fowler, broke the story and is here. Stephen, good morning. Good morning. Okay, so let's figure this out. Of course, it's well documented that President Trump's name is in the Epstein files.

Thousands of times they had a long friendship and then falling out. But what is different about what you found that seems not to have been there? When we were looking in the files, we found this email from the FBI dated last July and released last month. It listed all of the claims and tips that they'd received about Trump and what the disposition was. There were plenty of things there that were unverifiable, fantastical. You had non-credible reports, except one. That one, to paraphrase, accused Trump of sexually abusing a minor around 1983 when she was also being abused by Epstein, and it was sent to a field office to investigate further. Okay, so what did that investigation find?

We don't know. Other than, it was notable enough to include on a Justice Department slide show from last fall, also released last month, that summarizes the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Galane Maxwell. There's a slide of, quote, prominent names. At the top is Trump with two allegations, including this one about seven. sexual abuse, what's unusual is that it's the only place you can find mention of this accusation. Wait a minute. Why is it unusual? That's the only place you can find it. Well, it's more what other documents have shown us about these particular missing pages. There's records showing the FBI interviewed this accuser four times. Only one of those

interviews is in the public Epstein database. And it does not mention Trump at all. And the Justice Department's own tracking indicates there's at least 50 pages that exist, but were not made public. Okay, so when you begin putting these documents together, it's like a jigsaw puzzle, and it becomes clear that some pieces are missing. Did you find some kind of, I don't know, list or table of contents that outlines what is supposed to be there? Sort of.

There are three sets of what's called Bates stamps on that interview. Think of it like serial numbers for these documents that go up sequentially. At the end of this interview document, the last page, the bottom tracking number for the Epstein Files Transparency Act goes up by. one to go to the next file. There's a top number tracking documents related to this person interviewed that went up by six, and a third serial number jumped by 53, showing that there's likely something out there beyond what the DOJ is sharing. How does the Justice Department explain that? They didn't give an on-record answer to detailed questions, instead pointing back to the work

they're doing to fix redaction errors and address victim concerns. Implying there might be just some error here, but what is the White House saying? Well, the White House and the Trump administration have consistently said that there is nothing incriminating the president in the files. They point to a Justice Department statement when the last batch was released that say, quote, untrue and sensationalist claims about Trump are in the files. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, sent a statement to NPR that says in part that President Trump, quote, has done more for Epstein's victims than anyone before him by signing the law to release the files, among other things, and say that he's been totally exonerated. honorated. Okay, NPR Stephen Fowler, and you can read NPR's exclusive reporting on the Epstein files at our website, NPR.org.

Thanks, Stephen. Thank you. Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org.

I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.