The name of US President Donald Trump was among several high-profile identities redacted from over 100,000 pages of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, following an internal review by the FBI earlier this year.
According to media reports, the FBI instructed agents in March to flag any references to Trump during the vetting of the documents. The redactions were later made under federal privacy exemptions outlined in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has clarified that Trump has not been charged with any offense in connection with the Epstein investigation and that the decision to withhold names was based on legal protocol, not political considerations.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly informed Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files. However, officials confirmed that no so-called “client list” or criminal evidence had been uncovered during the review.
Despite the DOJ’s stance, the redactions have triggered backlash from victims’ advocates and transparency groups, who argue that the move protects influential figures at the expense of public accountability. Critics also accused Bondi of walking back earlier suggestions that the files would be released in full.
Supporters of the former president, meanwhile, have dismissed the controversy as politically motivated. Trump himself called the speculation surrounding the documents “overblown” and “boring.”
The FBI has not announced plans to release any further unredacted documents related to the case.
