Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have alleged that a photograph appearing to show Donald Trump has “apparently been removed” from the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the US Justice Department, prompting further questions about the transparency of the publication process.
The image reportedly showed several framed photos on a desk, including one of Trump located inside an open drawer. It circulated widely online after being downloaded by users from the official files browser earlier in the week.
However, Democrats said on Thursday that the photo can no longer be found in the Justice Department’s digital archive. Social media users also reported that searches for the file now return no result, and researchers said they were unable to locate the image when reviewing the directory for verification.
A side-by-side comparison of the file lists before and after the claim shows that the contested image does not appear among the items currently available. It is unclear whether the file was removed, repositioned, or renamed as part of the department’s ongoing document review.
The Justice Department has not commented on the allegation. Officials have previously said they are vetting “several hundred thousand” pages to protect victims’ identities and active investigations, with more releases expected.
Lawmakers from both parties have already criticised the department for missing the statutory deadline mandated by Congress and for issuing large volumes of redacted material without the required justification.
The first batch of files released last week contained photos of prominent figures including Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, as well as early complaints to law enforcement. The Trump reference in the initial release was minimal, consisting of a 1990s account involving Epstein introducing a teenager at Mar-a-Lago.
Further instalments of the files are expected in the coming weeks as the Justice Department continues its review process.