US Attorney General Pamela Bondi has strongly reaffirmed the Department of Justice's commitment to pursuing charges against anyone implicated in the sex trafficking network of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. This statement comes as the DOJ faces significant criticism for its handling of a massive document release related to the case.
DOJ Faces Backlash Over File Management
The controversy erupted after the Justice Department, on Friday, December 19, 2025, released thousands of files tied to the convicted sex offender. However, the agency later redacted and removed several photographs from the publicly posted trove. According to reports from The New York Times, NPR, and the Associated Press, up to 16 images were taken down from the official website on Saturday, December 20. One notable photograph reportedly depicted a desk drawer containing an image of former President Donald Trump.
In response to the growing backlash, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, December 21. He explained that the removals were made to comply with a judge's order to address concerns from victims and victim rights groups. "There were a number of photographs that were pulled down after being released on Friday," Blanche stated. "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."
Bondi's Firm Commitment and Political Crossfire
Amid the uproar, Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media platform X on Sunday to issue a clear and public reassurance. "We reaffirm this commitment, and ask any victim to please come forward with any information pertaining to any individuals who engaged in illicit activity at their expense," she wrote, echoing a previous DOJ pledge.
Bondi emphasized that authorities have met with numerous victims and support groups and promised immediate investigation of any new leads. "Please contact myself, DAG Blanche, or the FBI, and we will investigate immediately," her post continued. "We believe in the equal standard of justice in this country and will ensure that Justice is served."
The situation quickly took a political turn. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee accused the Trump administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act and of shielding President Donald Trump. Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, alleged on CNN's State of the Union that the administration was "covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn't want to go public."
Clarifications and a Partial Restoration
Deputy AG Todd Blanche forcefully rejected allegations of protecting the former president. Regarding the removed photo with Trump's image, he clarified, "It has nothing to do with President Trump." He explained the decision was based on concerns about women pictured alongside it. "You can see in that photo there are photographs of women," Blanche said. "And so we learned after releasing that photograph that there were concerns about those women... So we pulled that photo down."
He pledged full transparency regarding any mentions of Trump in the files, barring the protection of identified victims. "If President Trump is mentioned, if there's photographs that we have of President Trump or anybody else, they of course will be released, with the exception of any victims or survivors that we've identified," he told NBC.
Later on Sunday, the Justice Department announced it had restored one of the removed photographs after an internal review. Officials stated they determined "there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph." This move underscores the ongoing and delicate process of balancing public transparency with the privacy and protection of victims, a challenge at the heart of the current controversy.
