Rep. Garcia Claims DOJ Withheld FBI Interviews With Trump Accuser in Epstein Files

Controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case has reached a boiling point once again. Just when the public thought the release of millions of documents would bring total transparency, a massive political firestorm has erupted on Capitol Hill.

Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has publicly accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of deliberately withholding crucial evidence—specifically, FBI interviews with an accuser who has previously named Donald Trump. This explosive claim suggests that the recent document dump was heavily sanitized to protect powerful political figures. Late last month, the DOJ released approximately 3.5 million pages of documents, including thousands of videos and images, to comply with the newly passed Epstein Files Transparency Act. However, lawmakers and watchdog groups were quick to notice a glaring mathematical discrepancy.

DOJ originally identified over 6 million potentially responsive pages during their initial review. Rep. Garcia and other committee members are now demanding to know why nearly 50% of the investigative records have been kept hidden from the American public.

"Donald Trump and his Department of Justice have now made it clear that they intend to withhold roughly 50% of the Epstein files, while claiming to have fully complied with the law. This is outrageous and incredibly concerning," Garcia stated.

At the heart of Garcia’s accusation is the alleged suppression of direct survivor testimonies. Lawmakers argue that the withheld cache contains highly sensitive FBI interview transcripts where victims detailed their abuse and explicitly named other wealthy and powerful co-conspirators who enabled Epstein's trafficking ring.

Among these suppressed documents, Garcia pointed to interviews involving an accuser connected to Trump. Democrats argue that by heavily redacting or entirely omitting these specific FBI statements, the DOJ is effectively running a cover-up to shield the current administration and its elite allies from legal and public scrutiny.

DOJ’s Defense: Privacy vs. Transparency

Justice Department, currently facing intense grilling from the House Judiciary Committee, maintains that the massive redactions and withheld files are strictly a matter of protocol. Officials claim that a careful "all-hands-on-deck" approach was necessary to protect the identities of the survivors and to avoid compromising any pending investigations.

However, survivors and their advocates are rejecting this narrative. In a joint statement, several victims argued that the DOJ’s version of transparency only serves to re-traumatize them by exposing their identifying details while keeping the names of their high-profile abusers safely hidden in the vault.