Justice department accused of ‘covering up allegation Trump sexually abused minor’
A top Democrat has accused the Justice Department of withholding information relating to allegations of Donald Trump sexually abusing a minor from its release of the Epstein files.
Robert Garcia, ranking member of the committee on oversight and government reform, accused the White House of a “cover-up” as he claimed FBI interviews with the alleged survivor had been withheld.
In a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Garcia said “the Department of Justice (DOJ) is withholding materials in the Epstein files relating to alleged sexual abuse of a minor by Donald Trump”.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The president used to be friends with Epstein, but he said he cut off that relationship before the financier was accused of sexual abuse.
DoJ ‘reviewing’ files
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said on Wednesday that Trump had been “totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein”.
The Justice Department said it is reviewing whether any of its remaining Epstein-related documents were improperly withheld, and said they would be published if appropriate.
Garcia said he had confirmed media reports from National Public Radio and independent journalist Roger Sollenberger that the Justice Department withheld more than 50 pages of material dealing with the woman’s claims from more than three million Epstein-related documents it has released.
The New York Times subsequently published a story.
Garcia said in the letter he had already raised concerns over the DoJ’s “incomplete production” of files relating to Epstein.
“I have repeatedly raised concerns that DOJ’s incomplete production of Epstein-related documents pursuant to this Committee’s subpoena and the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) reflects a clear attempt to protect the President, his friends, or the numerous past and present Trump appointees who appear throughout the Epstein files,” the letter read.
FBI interviews
Garcia continued: “After recently reviewing unredacted files at DOJ, I was also able to independently confirm that the Department has in fact been withholding FBI interviews with a survivor who accused Trump of sexual abuse and violence.”
In a statement released a day before the letter, he said: “For the last few weeks, Oversight Democrats have been investigating the FBI’s handling of allegations from 2019 of sexual assault on a minor made against President Donald Trump by a survivor.
“Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes. Oversight Democrats will open a parallel investigation into this.”
Demand for ‘transparency’
According to Garcia’s letter dated 25 February, the FBI interviewed the alleged survivor four times but only the first interview, which doesn’t detail the allegations against the president, remains in the DoJ’s public database.
According to the letter, the DoJ failed to provide specific reasons as to why the documents were withheld, but it claimed that documents being kept from release are “duplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation”.
But Garcia said “compliance with our subpoena is not optional, and the Department has no valid basis to withhold any responsive documents from the Committee – whether based on privilege or the existence of an ongoing investigation”.
He added: “The American people demand transparency and accountability, and any further delay by the Department continues to deny justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.”