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American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and then-real estate developer Donald Trump posed together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in 1997.
(Photo: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
FBI Officials Redacted References to Trump From Epstein Files: Report
The names of other high-profile figures were also redacted, according to Bloomberg.
Aug 01, 2025
Bloomberg reported on Friday that FBI officials earlier this year redacted the name of U.S. President Donald Trump from the agency's files on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Three unnamed sources confirmed to Bloomberg that the FBI had redacted the names of Trump and other prominent public figures even before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month that "no further disclosure" of the Epstein files "would be appropriate or warranted."
Bloomberg's sources explained that "Trump's name, along with other high-profile individuals, was blacked out because he was a private citizen when the federal investigation of Epstein was launched in 2006."
The reviewers applied two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions to justify their redactions, according to the report: One that "protects individuals against 'a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy'" and another that protects against disclosures that "could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."
Bloomberg noted that there is nothing particularly exceptional about this because these standards have long been employed by the FBI when it comes to redacting FOIA requests, even when it comes to high-profile public figures such as Trump.
The revelations about Trump's name being redacted from the files came on the same day The New York Times reported that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime accomplice who is serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges, was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security women's prison in Texas.
The DOJ's decision to not release the Epstein files ignited a firestorm last month that the president has struggled to contain. At times Trump, who was friends with Epstein for several years, has even chastised his own voters for continuing to ask questions about the files, while at the same time insisting that he had nothing to do with Epstein's sex trafficking ring that involved the sexual abuse of multiple underage girls.
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federal bureau of investigationfreedom of information actjeffrey epsteinus department of justicedonald trump
Bloomberg reported on Friday that FBI officials earlier this year redacted the name of U.S. President Donald Trump from the agency's files on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Three unnamed sources confirmed to Bloomberg that the FBI had redacted the names of Trump and other prominent public figures even before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month that "no further disclosure" of the Epstein files "would be appropriate or warranted."
Bloomberg's sources explained that "Trump's name, along with other high-profile individuals, was blacked out because he was a private citizen when the federal investigation of Epstein was launched in 2006."
The reviewers applied two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions to justify their redactions, according to the report: One that "protects individuals against 'a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy'" and another that protects against disclosures that "could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."
Bloomberg noted that there is nothing particularly exceptional about this because these standards have long been employed by the FBI when it comes to redacting FOIA requests, even when it comes to high-profile public figures such as Trump.
The revelations about Trump's name being redacted from the files came on the same day The New York Times reported that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime accomplice who is serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges, was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security women's prison in Texas.
The DOJ's decision to not release the Epstein files ignited a firestorm last month that the president has struggled to contain. At times Trump, who was friends with Epstein for several years, has even chastised his own voters for continuing to ask questions about the files, while at the same time insisting that he had nothing to do with Epstein's sex trafficking ring that involved the sexual abuse of multiple underage girls.
From Your Site Articles
- 'What Are They Hiding?': Republicans Block Vote to Release Epstein Files ›
- 'Trump Is in the Epstein Files,' Charges Musk as Right-Wing Billionaire Bro Feud Goes Kaboom ›
- In Latest Attack on Media, Trump Sues Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Report ›
- Opinion | The Latest Chapter in the Ghislaine Maxwell Saga | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | A Timeline of Trump’s Futile Epstein Diversions | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | Trump’s Latest Epstein Gambit | Common Dreams ›
- See the 19 Photos House Oversight Democrats Just Released From Epstein's Estate | Common Dreams ›
- Dems Demand Answers as Trump Photo Disappears From DOJ Online Epstein Files | Common Dreams ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Bloomberg reported on Friday that FBI officials earlier this year redacted the name of U.S. President Donald Trump from the agency's files on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Three unnamed sources confirmed to Bloomberg that the FBI had redacted the names of Trump and other prominent public figures even before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month that "no further disclosure" of the Epstein files "would be appropriate or warranted."
Bloomberg's sources explained that "Trump's name, along with other high-profile individuals, was blacked out because he was a private citizen when the federal investigation of Epstein was launched in 2006."
The reviewers applied two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions to justify their redactions, according to the report: One that "protects individuals against 'a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy'" and another that protects against disclosures that "could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."
Bloomberg noted that there is nothing particularly exceptional about this because these standards have long been employed by the FBI when it comes to redacting FOIA requests, even when it comes to high-profile public figures such as Trump.
The revelations about Trump's name being redacted from the files came on the same day The New York Times reported that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime accomplice who is serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges, was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security women's prison in Texas.
The DOJ's decision to not release the Epstein files ignited a firestorm last month that the president has struggled to contain. At times Trump, who was friends with Epstein for several years, has even chastised his own voters for continuing to ask questions about the files, while at the same time insisting that he had nothing to do with Epstein's sex trafficking ring that involved the sexual abuse of multiple underage girls.
From Your Site Articles
- 'What Are They Hiding?': Republicans Block Vote to Release Epstein Files ›
- 'Trump Is in the Epstein Files,' Charges Musk as Right-Wing Billionaire Bro Feud Goes Kaboom ›
- In Latest Attack on Media, Trump Sues Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Report ›
- Opinion | The Latest Chapter in the Ghislaine Maxwell Saga | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | A Timeline of Trump’s Futile Epstein Diversions | Common Dreams ›
- Opinion | Trump’s Latest Epstein Gambit | Common Dreams ›
- See the 19 Photos House Oversight Democrats Just Released From Epstein's Estate | Common Dreams ›
- Dems Demand Answers as Trump Photo Disappears From DOJ Online Epstein Files | Common Dreams ›
Related Articles Around the Web
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