16 Epstein files — including the Trump photo — quietly disappeared from the DOJ website after their December release

The DOJ 'Lost' 16 Epstein Files After Releasing Them. One of Them Was the Trump Photo.

On December 19, 2025, the Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Within 48 hours, at least 16 of those files had "disappeared" from the DOJ website. One of the deleted files was a photograph of President Donald Trump.

The Silent Delete

There was no announcement. No explanation. The files that had been publicly posted were simply gone from the government portal — including File 468, the photo showing Donald, Melania, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Users who had already downloaded the material preserved it. Users who visited the site after the deletion found nothing.

The Cover-Up in Slow Motion

After public backlash and reporting by PBS NewsHour and CNBC, the DOJ claimed the files were "temporarily removed for further review." They later restored the Trump photo "without alteration or redaction." The explanation raises more questions than it answers: if the files were cleared for release on December 19, why did they need further review on December 21? And why only the ones involving the president?

The Pattern

Release the files. Watch the embarrassing ones. Delete the worst ones. Hope nobody notices. Restore them only when the press catches the deletion. This is what looks like in the age of Freedom of Information — not a shredder in a basement, but a sysadmin pressing delete after the public has already seen it.