March 4, 2026
DOJ removes 47,635 Epstein files including Trump-related FBI records
Removed records include FBI files on Trump as DOJ disables bulk download
⚖️Justice🔐Ethics📰Media Literacy
By March 4, 2026, the DOJ had removed 47,635 files from the Epstein database it was legally required to maintain publicly — representing approximately 65,500 pages of investigative records. CBS News tracked the removals using archive comparisons of the database over time.
The removed files included FBI interview records related to accusations that Trump sexually abused a minor in the 1980s. The specific accusation appeared in FBI interview summaries that briefly appeared in the public database before being pulled.
DOJ spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said the removals were for redactions to protect victim identities. Legislators who reviewed the full, unredacted files disputed that, saying the pattern of removals appeared designed to protect powerful men — not survivors.
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act as a bipartisan law requiring full public disclosure of the Epstein investigation. Critics argued the DOJ's selective removals violated the statute's disclosure requirements — a legal question with no current litigation forcing the DOJ's hand.
After the initial database release, the DOJ removed the ability for users to bulk-download files — a technical change that significantly limits independent researchers and journalists from doing systematic analysis of what remains and what has been removed.
Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors and died in federal custody in August 2019 in what was ruled a suicide. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on five counts of sex trafficking and is currently serving a 20-year sentence.
The conflict of interest is direct and structural: the president whose administration controls the DOJ is named in the removed files. The attorney general serves at the president's pleasure and can be fired at will. No independent special counsel has been appointed to oversee the Epstein files release.
A 2020 DOJ inspector general review found the FBI's original handling of the Epstein investigation included significant failures, including not properly pursuing tips about Epstein's associates. The current removal of files occurs in an environment where the DOJ's OIG is itself being blocked from 11 DHS investigations.
The Epstein case intersects with multiple ongoing legal proceedings. Victims who negotiated settlements with Epstein's estate have raised concerns that selective file releases and removals could affect ongoing civil litigation and potential future criminal referrals against unnamed associates.
The public database was mandated by Congress specifically because of years of documented concern that Epstein's wealthy and politically connected associates had been shielded from accountability. The removal of files — without congressional authorization, court order, or adequate public explanation — directly undermines the purpose of that mandate.
⚖️Justice🔐Ethics📰Media Literacy
People, bills, and sources
Natalie Baldassarre
DOJ Spokesperson
Pam Bondi
U.S. Attorney General
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Ghislaine Maxwell
Epstein associate, convicted sex trafficker serving 20-year sentence
Jeffrey Epstein
Deceased financier, sex trafficker
CBS News investigative team
Journalists who tracked and documented the file removals
Unnamed congressional reviewers
Legislators who reviewed unredacted Epstein files
Survivors and civil litigants
Epstein victims with ongoing legal proceedings
What you can do
1
research
File a FOIA request for removed Epstein database records
The Freedom of Information Act gives the public the right to request records from federal agencies, including records that have been removed from public databases. Filing FOIA requests creates a public record of what the government claims it can't release and why.
2
civic action
Contact your representative to demand DOJ compliance with the Epstein Transparency Act
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act to force full disclosure. If the DOJ is removing files in violation of that law, Congress has oversight tools — including subpoenas and hearings — to investigate. Constituents can demand their representatives use them.
Hello, I am [NAME], a constituent from [CITY/STATE]. I'm calling about the DOJ's removal of nearly 48,000 files from the legally mandated Epstein database.
Key concerns:
- CBS News analysis found the DOJ removed 47,635 files — roughly 65,500 pages — from the Epstein database Congress mandated be made public
- The removed files included FBI interview records related to accusations against Trump from the 1980s
- Lawmakers who reviewed unredacted files say the removals appear to protect powerful men, not survivors, despite the DOJ's stated justification
Questions to ask:
- Will Representative [NAME] call for a House Judiciary Committee hearing on whether the DOJ's Epstein file removals violate the Epstein Files Transparency Act?
- Will Representative [NAME] support an independent special counsel to oversee Epstein-related disclosures?
Specific request: I am asking Representative [NAME] to publicly demand the DOJ restore all removed files and provide a complete log of what was removed and why.
Question: Does Representative [NAME] believe the DOJ is in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act?
Thank you.
3
legal resource
Read the American Oversight FOIA tracker for Epstein records
American Oversight files FOIA requests and tracks government records. Its Epstein-related FOIA work shows which files have been sought, what the government claims is exempt, and how the DOJ's accountability record compares to what Congress required.