U.S. Department of Justice Deletes Trump-Related Content from Publicly Released 'Epstein Files'. Reuters Yonhap News

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated on the 21st (local time) that the Justice Department's removal of photos containing President Donald Trump from the 'Epstein Files,' which have been released since two days ago, was "to protect victims."

Blanche, a close associate of President Trump, appeared on NBC and said, "The photos (that were removed) show women. After releasing those photos, we became aware of concerns regarding those women. That's why we took the photos down."

He added, "If any victim, victim's lawyer, or victim advocacy group contacts us and says, 'There is content in the documents or photos that could identify me,' we will naturally remove it and investigate."

When a host pointed out that Blanche's remarks implied that the photos removed by the Justice Department had President Trump with victims or were related to them, Blanche denied it, saying, "No."

He emphasized, "If we had believed that the photos included survivors (among Epstein's victims), we would not have released them without obscuring their faces in the first place."

He further explained, "The information we have is not perfect. Therefore, when we receive input from victim advocacy groups regarding these types of photos, we take them down and investigate."

He added, "The photos are still under investigation. Those photos will be re-uploaded," and expressed doubt about whether any "redaction to signify victimhood" would be applied.

When asked if he could guarantee that all documents and photos related to President Trump in the Epstein files would be released, Blanche responded, "Yes," and reiterated, "I have already said this several times."

He emphasized, "If President Trump is mentioned, and if there are photos of President Trump or anyone else, they will naturally be released. However, his appearance in the Epstein files does not mean he was involved in those horrific crimes."

He also pointed out, "Dozens of photos of President Trump (related to Epstein) have already been released. He has stated that he interacted with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s. The claim that photos were removed because President Trump appeared in them is absurd."

Blanche's remarks suggest that the photos removed by the Justice Department were not taken down because of President Trump's presence, but rather due to the women who were potentially identified as victims, and that they will be re-released after further investigation.

Blanche explained that the delay in releasing all of the Epstein files, past the court deadline, was due to "ensuring that all victim names and related information are protected and redacted."

He argued, "If we had released a large amount of victim-related information as claimed by those who are shouting that Friday's (the 19th) release was insufficient, that would have been a real crime."

The U.S. Department of Justice began releasing documents related to the Epstein case investigation on the 19th, in accordance with the 'Epstein Files Transparency Act,' which was unanimously passed by the House and Senate in November and signed by President Trump.

However, it has been revealed that the Justice Department quietly deleted 16 items from the files, including photos of President Trump, just one day after their release, sparking controversy.

Meanwhile, when asked about whether there would be further indictments of prominent figures such as former President Bill Clinton, whose photos showing intimate interactions with unidentified women were widely released through the Epstein files, Blanche evaded the question by saying, "I don't know."

However, he left open the possibility of further investigations and indictments, stating, "We are continuously obtaining new information. Just this Wednesday, we learned the names of additional victims. These are new names that were not previously known."

He explained that his meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former lover and accomplice, in July, and Maxwell's subsequent transfer to a lower-security correctional facility, was due to "her receiving multiple death threats," and was a security consideration.

Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, was transferred from a Florida prison to a lower-security, more comfortable correctional facility in Texas. This led to speculation that it was in exchange for Maxwell providing testimony favorable to Trump, in hopes of a presidential pardon.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. AP Yonhap News File Photo