FBI Releases Withheld Epstein Files Containing Trump Sexual Assault Allegations
Previously withheld FBI documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case, containing explosive allegations that former President Donald Trump sexually assaulted a teenage girl in the 1980s, have been released by US authorities. The memos, which detail interviews with an alleged victim, were flagged as missing from the initial trove of Department of Justice documents related to the convicted paedophile financier.
Allegations of Assault and White House Cover-Up
According to the newly public documents, an unidentified woman informed FBI agents shortly after Epstein's 2019 arrest for sex trafficking that she was assaulted by both Epstein and Trump as a young teenager during the 1980s. She claimed to have been between 13 and 15 years old at the time of the alleged incident involving Trump.
The woman stated that Trump attempted to force her to perform oral sex on him during a meeting arranged by Epstein in either New York or New Jersey. When she resisted and bit him, she alleges he struck her and ordered her removal from the room. The FBI interview summaries, known as 302 reports, record her describing Trump as disliking that she was a "boy-girl," interpreted by agents as meaning she was a tomboy.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein or knowledge of the late financier's criminal activities. The allegations remain unverified, and no charges have been filed as a result of the claims.
Timing and Transparency Questions
The release of these documents comes weeks after the official publication of the Epstein Files and amidst intense media coverage of Middle East conflicts, raising significant questions about timing and transparency. The Department of Justice initially omitted these documents from its release of over three million Epstein-related files earlier this year, with only a summary of one interview included in the publicly available tranche.
Department officials have stated the files were initially withheld because they were mistakenly categorized as duplicates. However, this explanation has done little to quell criticism from Democratic lawmakers who have accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of suppressing allegations against the President.
Detailed Allegations and Investigation
The three FBI interview reports reveal the woman came forward after recognizing Epstein from a photograph sent by a friend. She claimed Epstein began abusing her at age 13 and arranged encounters with other men, including the alleged meeting with Trump.
According to the documents, the woman told investigators that Trump isolated her in a room before declaring, "Let me teach you how little girls are supposed to be." She alleged he then unzipped his trousers and pushed her head down, prompting her to bite him in disgust. The notes record Trump allegedly responding by striking her and demanding, "Get this little b**** the hell out of here."
The woman further claimed that she and associates received threatening phone calls over the years demanding her silence about the incident, which she believed were connected to Epstein. During one interview, she quietly suggested that if the threats weren't from Epstein, "maybe it was the 'other one'," identifying Trump when pressed by agents.
Political Fallout and Official Responses
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed the allegations as "completely baseless accusations, backed by zero credible evidence from a sadly disturbed woman who has an extensive criminal history." She emphasized that the Department of Justice under President Biden had known about the claims for four years without taking action, suggesting this demonstrated Trump's innocence.
The release follows a rare bipartisan House committee vote to subpoena Attorney General Bondi regarding the handling of Epstein documents. Democrats have launched an investigation into whether the Department deliberately withheld material alleging Trump's involvement in sexual assault.
The Department of Justice has announced that a review identified 15 files that were "incorrectly coded as duplicate" and not released in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. All documents are now publicly available, with unredacted versions to be provided to Congress for review.
This development adds to ongoing scrutiny of the administration's handling of Epstein records, with critics accusing the Department of Justice of improper redactions and transparency failures. Trump is mentioned thousands of times throughout the Epstein Files, including in emails and correspondence sent by the financier himself.
