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Trump Hit by New Mystery Over Missing Epstein Files

Documents released by the Justice Department raise questions about what the Trump administration may be holding back.

Documents released by the Justice Department have cast serious doubt on the Trump administration’s claims that it holds no classified information on Jeffrey Epstein.

Attorney General Todd Blanche has repeatedly said his officials aren’t concealing any documents related to the late pedophile’s crimes on national security grounds. But Justice Department files published earlier this year reveal that federal authorities handled classified records concerning the disgraced financier, CBS News reports.

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One inventory from March 2025 shows that two CDs containing classified material were delivered to Blanche’s office when he was still serving as deputy attorney general. A separate FBI email that day identified three documents that remained classified at the time.

It’s unclear what those records contained or whether they were subsequently declassified or withheld from release. There are also extensive gaps in the paperwork documenting Epstein’s finances and correspondence, CBS News found.

The network compared identification numbers assigned to evidence during earlier investigations with those used for the public release. The results suggest tens of thousands of pages were omitted from previously assembled records.

Some omissions could reflect the removal of duplicate documents, and the network says there is no evidence that every missing page was improperly withheld. But the discoveries raise further questions about an administration already facing accusations of concealing information about Epstein’s wealthy and influential associates—including President Donald Trump.

Trump’s supporters and even the president himself have long pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein’s involvement in an international pedophilic cabal. Trump, who has said he ended his friendship with Epstein in the mid-2000s, campaigned partly on a pledge of complete transparency about his former associate’s crimes and connection to rich and powerful elites, then reneged on that promise and released only limited information that was largely already public.

Congress passed legislation last November requiring the publication of federal investigative records concerning the convicted sex offender with only limited exemptions to protect victims’ identities.

Trump, 80, signed the measure into law following months of controversy over his administration’s refusal to disclose the material. The Justice Department examined roughly 6 million pages but published only about half of them because it argued the rest included duplicates and legally protected information.

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Blanche took over after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi amid backlash to her handling of the release. He has repeatedly defended the review process even after journalist Katie Phang sued him in April, accusing the Justice Department of unlawfully withholding records and failing to provide legally required explanations for redactions.

A federal judge has since issued orders requiring further disclosures or justifications, which the administration is appealing. Phang is further seeking the appointment of an independent reviewer to examine the DOJ’s compliance with both the congressional measures passed last November and the court’s subsequent orders in her lawsuit.

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Lawmakers have also introduced bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen legal challenges over withheld evidence. The Daily Beast has contacted the Justice Department for comment on this story.

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