The United States Department of Justice recently released FBI documents related to the sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump that were missing from the initial release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The documents include interviews and notes from three FBI interviews with a woman who claims she was sexually abused by Epstein and Trump.
The Justice Department said the documents were mistakenly filed as “copies,” preventing their release. The agency redacted and released them, including all interviews and notes from the initial investigation.
Trump has categorically denied any wrongdoing, claiming that Epstein’s files exonerate him. According to his press secretary, Caroline Levitt, the allegations are “completely baseless” and “not based on any credible evidence.” He has also described the claims as the result of a “disturbed woman with an extensive criminal record.”
The woman, from South Carolina, had testified after Epstein's arrest in 2019, alleging that the financier had abused her in Hilton Head when she was 13, around 1984. The FBI conducted four follow-up interviews during 2019, on July 24, August 7, August 20 and October 16, which were revealed as part of the evidence against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's convicted associate.
In the second interview, the woman described other alleged incidents of abuse by Epstein and several male associates. According to her, Epstein took her to buildings in New York and New Jersey, where she was introduced to Trump. She said Trump removed others from the room and made inappropriate comments, showing her how “little girls should be.” At one point, Trump unzipped her pants and engaged her in sexual intercourse, according to her testimony. The woman also reported hearing Trump and Epstein discussing extortion and money laundering through casinos.
During the third interview, she reported receiving threatening phone calls and attempts to stop her while driving, allegedly related to Epstein or Trump. At the fourth meeting, she was not accompanied by a lawyer and expressed concern about the recording of the conversation, questioning the purpose of pursuing charges. The agents encouraged her to go home and take time to think about speaking further.
It is not clear how the FBI investigation into the woman's allegations has progressed. An email from FBI agents, included in the released documents, mentions another victim who alleged abuse by Trump but refused to cooperate. Meanwhile, another lawsuit against Epstein's estate describes similar abuses in South Carolina and New York by "prominent and wealthy men," without mentioning Trump.
The Justice Department has not explained why the interview transcripts were not initially released, but has launched a new review to determine whether some documents were “inappropriately marked” during the review. The law gives the Justice Department the authority to withhold records that are duplicate, confidential or part of an active federal investigation.
