Epstein files Department of Justice deletes files - allegations of cover-up
Victim advocate John Scarola criticizes the redactions in the Epstein documents as too extensive. He is calling for more transparency and further investigations. According to the US Department of Justice, the deletion was made at the request of those affected.
21.12.2025, 18:34
21.12.2025, 23:29
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- Victim advocate John Scarola accuses the US Department of Justice of failing to comply with congressional requirements when publishing the Epstein documents.
- The documents have been excessively redacted, protecting alleged perpetrators and increasing the suffering of victims.
- The Department of Justice announced that the Epstein files had been deleted at the request of those affected.
In the view of victim advocate John Scarola, the US Department of Justice has not complied with the requirements of Congress in publishing thousands of documents relating to the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "This is a partial release. But the main problem is the redactions," Scarola told DerSpiegel. The lawyer represents several victims of the sex offender Epstein.
"From everything I have seen so far, I am convinced that the documents were redacted to an excessive extent," Scarola told the news magazine. In justifiable cases, redactions are necessary - to protect the privacy of the victims and the presumption of innocence of suspected perpetrators who have not yet been made public. "Nevertheless, the extent of these redactions goes far beyond anything I consider justified," he said.
When asked whether he believed that suspected perpetrators had been protected by the large number of redactions, Scarola answered "yes". From the victims' point of view, this partial publication increased their suffering, he emphasized. They had been promised time and again that the documents would be disclosed in full. But this promise had been broken.
Beyond the publication of files, the US Congress must conduct a comprehensive and complete investigation into the corruption in the civil justice system that played a role in the cases of Epstein and his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, Scarola demanded.
The opposition Democrats accused President Donald Trump of trying to protect himself. "All of this is to hide things that Donald Trump doesn't want to make public for one reason or another, whether it's about himself, other members of his family, his friends," criticized Democratic MP Jamie Raskin on CNN on Sunday.
Minister of Justice: Files deleted at the request of those affected
According to the US Department of Justice, the sudden deletion of more than a dozen files from the Epstein files published online was carried out at the request of those affected. The removed photos showed potential victims of the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who had not previously been identified as such, said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on NBC News. The files had therefore been deleted in light of the ongoing investigation. Blanche announced that they would be made publicly accessible again - he did not specify a date.
On Friday afternoon, following massive public pressure, the Department of Justice initially uploaded four data sets containing thousands of files to its website. These included photos as well as documents. Many of the files have been completely redacted - the Ministry has already been criticized for this. Less than 24 hours later, the Democrats in the US Congress accused the Ministry of deleting a file. A photo had apparently been removed, they said in a post on X.
A spot check by Deutsche Presse-Agentur revealed that a newer version of the first data set from Saturday contained at least 16 fewer files than a previous version of the archive from Friday afternoon. In addition to the photo that Democrats say is missing, the newer version also no longer includes certain shots of a room with a massage table.
