Former DHS official Miles Taylor lashes out at Trump's DOJ for withholding Epstein files

Former Homeland Security official and author Miles Taylor accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of withholding records containing allegations that Donald Trump sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in the 1980s, in a post on X. He said that the accusations were severe enough for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to interview the accuser on four separate occasions. The files relate to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. They include travel logs, recordings, emails, photos, and videos.

The department clarified that records had been "incorrectly coded as duplicative" and were not published, along with other investigative documents, as a result, according to the Associated Press. Nearly 3.5 million pages were released in January this year, with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

Taylor's statement sharply draws into focus the Justice Department's lack of transparency with the release of the Epstein files. She had first come forward after Epstein's 2019 arrest and alleged that she was assaulted by both Trump and Epstein as a minor. This led to the FBI interviewing her on four separate occasions.

The massive tranche does not include interviews by the FBI with the woman. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said that the Democrats would investigate the withheld records. Garcia also confirmed that the DOJ's withholding of the FBI interviews with the accuser is illegal.

The failure to release a complete set of unredacted Epstein files has serious implications for the DOJ, which is already facing severe criticism for its uneven release of millions of documents. The agency’s slapdash redactions exposed personal details about victims.

The department said in a press release that the redactions were to be limited to the protection of victims and their families, while adding that "some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims" against President Trump, submitted to the FBI before the 2020 elections.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump supporter turned critic, recently said that President Trump was against releasing the Epstein files. She alleged that Trump directed Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, and Pam Bondi, the former attorney general, to block the release by whatever means necessary.

Many have questioned the lack of progress in the case since the files came out five months ago. Joe Rogan, a popular podcaster, was surprised that there had been no further arrests in the case despite the release. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in New York. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of procuring teenage girls for Epstein and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.