US Justice Department releases Epstein files containing unverified allegations against Trump
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The United States Department of Justice on Thursday released additional documents related to convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein, including FBI memos that contain uncorroborated allegations involving Donald Trump.
According to the department, the files were not included in earlier public releases of Epstein-related records that began in December because they were mistakenly categorised as duplicates.
The documents include summaries of interviews conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2019 with a woman who alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Epstein and by Trump in the 1980s when she was a minor. The woman contacted the FBI shortly after Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.
Authorities have said the allegations were never verified, and no charges were filed in relation to the claims.
A report by The Guardian said some of the woman’s statements appeared to contradict known details about Epstein’s life during the early 1980s.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein or knowledge of his criminal activities.
Responding to the report, Karoline Leavitt said the accusations were “completely baseless” and lacked credible evidence. She added that the allegations had been known to authorities for several years without resulting in action.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department said some documents contained untrue and sensationalist claims submitted shortly before the 2020 US election.
The department said it identified 15 documents that had been incorrectly coded as duplicates and five prosecution memos that could be released while still protecting privileged material.
The release comes as Democrats in Congress have opened an inquiry into whether documents related to Trump were intentionally withheld from earlier disclosures. Lawmakers on the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability have also subpoenaed Pam Bondi to answer questions about the investigation and the handling of the document releases.