DOJ releases missing Epstein files including Trump allegation
The Justice Department has published FBI interviews with a woman who alleged Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein.
The woman claimed that Trump hit her after she bit his [private] when he attempted to force her to perform oral [sexual acts] during interviews conducted after Epstein's arrest between August and October 2019.
The FBI spoke to her four times but a summary of only one of those interviews had been included in the publicly released files.
The DOJ last week said it was reviewing whether Epstein files had been improperly withheld after Democrats accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of suppressing sexual assault allegations against Trump.
Bondi was subpoenaed by Congress Wednesday as Republicans on the House Oversight Committee broke ranks amid mounting frustration at the handling of the Epstein files from the President's own party.
Department Says Files Mistakenly Coded as Duplicates
The Department announced late Thursday the files had been 'incorrectly coded as duplicative,' and therefore were inadvertently not published along with other investigative documents related to the disgraced financier, who was found hanged in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on [sexual] trafficking charges in 2019.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the allegations against Trump 'completely baseless, backed by zero credible evidence, from a sadly disturbed woman who has an extensive criminal history.'
'The total baselessness of these accusations is also supported by the obvious fact that Joe Biden's Department of Justice knew about them for four years and did nothing with them - because they knew President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong. As we have said countless times, President Trump has been totally exonerated by the release of the Epstein Files,' Leavitt said.
The woman contacted the FBI shortly after Epstein's arrest and claimed that a man named 'Jeff' had [sexually assaulted] her in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in the early 1980s when was around 13 years old.
Woman Details Allegations in Interviews
She told agents she didn't know who he was at the time, but decades later concluded he was Epstein when a friend texted her his photo from a news story.
In a follow-up interview a month later, the woman added a host of other allegations, including that Epstein had schemed to have her mother sent to prison, beaten her, and arranged sexual encounters with other men.
The woman alleged that when she was between 13 and 15, Epstein took her to either New York or New Jersey, where 'in a very tall building with huge rooms' he introduced her to Trump.
She alleged Epstein and Trump referred to girls using the terms 'fresh meat' and 'untainted'.
Other people were present, she said, though she could not recall who. Trump asked them to leave, then said 'something to the effect of, "Let me teach you how little girls are supposed to be,"' the interview notes state.
Trump unzipped his pants and forced her head 'down to his [private],' she alleged. The woman claimed she 'bit the [expletive] out of it,' after which he pulled her hair and punched her on the side of her head.
Trump Consistently Denies Wrongdoing in Connection with Epstein
'Get this little bitch the hell out of here,' the woman claimed Trump said, at which point others reentered the room. The FBI files contain no information about how the incident ended or how the woman left.
The woman disclosed in one interview that she had begun working with attorneys and 'wanted to be upfront' about 'her pending civil case in the event the agents determined a conflict of interest could occur.'
It remains unclear what became of the FBI's investigation into the woman's claims and she was deemed ineligible for the Epstein Victims' Compensation Program, which paid out more than 130 settlements.
There is no indication Epstein ever lived in South Carolina, and no evidence he and Trump knew each other in 1983, at least four years before the President has acknowledged becoming acquainted with the financier.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
The DOJ noted in January that some of the documents contain 'untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.'
Democrats Criticize Bondi Over Handling of Epstein Files
The Trump administration has faced constant political headaches since the rollout of the files began in December after Congress overwhelming voted to release them.
The Department at the end of January finally announced the release of more than 3 million Epstein files but immediately reports emerged that victims had been unredacted while names of the accused had been shielded.
With Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem now fired, congressional Democrats have signaled they are turning their full attention to Bondi, with Rep. Jamie Raskin telling Axios she is 'a central part' of what he called 'a culture of lawlessness and chaos in the Cabinet' and 'at the heart of the Epstein cover-up.'
Rep. Robert Garcia, the Oversight Committee's ranking member, said Bondi is 'the most high-profile member of the Cabinet that is involved in corruption.'
Thanedar Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Bondi
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries named Bondi and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as the two who have 'got to go' next, vowing to pursue both 'with the same intensity that has now led to the termination of Kristi Noem.'
Rep. Shri Thanedar separately introduced articles of impeachment against Bondi on Thursday, charging her with obstruction of Congress and dereliction of duty, though with Republicans controlling both chambers the effort faces long odds.
Pressure is also mounting on Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick who agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee after a photo released by the DOJ showed him on Epstein's infamous private island, Little St James.
The Republican-led Oversight Committee is investigating the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files after Bondi has presided over multiple abortive releases of documents related to the [child predator].
DOJ Defends Handling of Epstein files
The Oversight Committee last week grilled Bill and Hillary Clinton in the most high-profile depositions to date, with lawmakers now pushing to interview Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
DOJ officials have defended their handling of the files, saying they took pains to release the files as quickly as possible under the law while also protecting victims.
Officials have said errors were inevitable given the volume of the materials, the number of lawyers viewing the files and the speed at which the Department had to release them.
The Department has said it's entitled to withhold records that exposed potential abuse victims, were duplicates or protected by legal privileges, or related to an ongoing criminal investigation.
