FBI redacted Trump’s name in Epstein files

The FBI removed President Donald Trump’s name, along with those of other high-profile figures, from Jeffrey Epstein-related documents earlier in 2025, claims a Bloomberg report citing three people familiar with the matter. Knewz.com has learned that the Justice Department has said the review found no “client list” and no evidence linking Trump to criminal activity, despite his name appearing in Epstein’s contact book and on flight records.

The FBI redacted Trump’s name from Epstein files: Claims

According to reports, approximately 1,000 FBI agents were tasked with reviewing around 100,000 pages of Epstein-related records, and internal instructions asked staff to flag any reference to Trump. According to people familiar with the process, the names of President Trump and other prominent individuals were then redacted by Freedom of Information Act officers because they were private citizens at the time. The Department of Justice has said privacy protections and victim safety were the primary reasons behind withholding certain materials. In a joint statement issued with the FBI in July, the agencies said, “While we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”

Trump and Epstein’s relationship

According to reports, President Trump and Epstein were acquaintances beginning in the late 1980s, moving in the same New York social circles. For about 15 years, they were seen at parties together, including gatherings at Mar-a-Lago and in Manhattan. In 2002, Trump told New York magazine that Epstein was a “terrific guy.” However, by the president’s own account, the friendship ended long before Epstein’s 2019 arrest on trafficking charges. Epstein, already a convicted offender at the time, died in federal custody later that year. Trump has emphasized that he had not spoken to Epstein for more than a decade before the arrest.

Epstein’s flight records mention Trump

Flight records show Trump took at least eight trips on Epstein’s private jet between 1993 and 1997, although those flights were between New York and Florida, not to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island, known as Little Saint James, became the focus of federal investigations after victims said Epstein and his associates abused underage girls there. Prosecutors alleged in 2020 that Epstein operated a criminal enterprise on the island, transporting victims as young as 11 years old. His estate later settled a $105 million lawsuit with the Virgin Islands in 2022.

White House says there is no need for further disclosures

The decision not to release the remaining Epstein files has drawn criticism across party lines. Trump’s political opponents have argued that the redactions undermine his past campaign promises to make all Epstein-related records public. Representative Robert Garcia, a California Democrat, said in a statement, “Donald Trump, after spending years campaigning, promising to release the files, making it central to his whole message when running for the presidency, has now done a complete flip. He is obviously hiding something.” The White House, on the other hand, has maintained that there is no need for further disclosures. President Trump, for his part, has suggested that former President Barack Obama’s administration planted references to him in the Epstein records. He said in a statement to reporters recently, “The whole thing is a hoax. They ran the files. I was running against somebody that ran the files. If they had something they would have released.”

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