STORY: A photo of U.S. President Donald Trump that had been removed from the cache of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Department of Justice was restored on Sunday (December 21) after officials determined none of Epstein's victims were in the image, the department said.

The photo showing a desk with an open drawer containing a photo of Trump with various women was flagged by the Southern District of New York for review to protect potential victims.

"After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction," the Justice Department said on X on Sunday.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier on Sunday his office removed the photo because of concerns about women in the photo. “It has nothing to do with President Trump,” Blanche said during a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker."

The Justice Department released thousands of documents on Friday (December 19) related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who committed suicide in 2019. But it has drawn criticism, including from some Republicans, over extensive redactions and few documents mentioning Trump despite his well-publicized friendship with Epstein.

During an ABC News interview on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for a "full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required."

Up to 16 photos, including the desk drawer Trump image, were removed on Saturday from the Justice Department website, according to The New York Times, NPR and the Associated Press, although Reuters could not independently confirm the removals.

The Justice Department said on Sunday it acted with an abundance of caution after receiving requests from alleged victims and their lawyers to remove information.

Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowing about Epstein's crimes.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: POST ON X BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE / PHOTO REMOVED FROM RELEASED FILES AND THEN RESTORED / SCREENSHOTS OF LIST OF FILES WITH THE NUMBER "468" MISSING FROM THE FILE SEQUENCE

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: DOCUMENTS MAY CONTAIN UNVERIFIED ALLEGATIONS / SENSITIVE CONTENT HAS BEEN REDACTED PER DOJ GUIDELINES

SHOWS: INTERNET (DECEMBER 21, 2025) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - Access all) (MUTE)

1. POST ON X BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, READING (English): "The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims. Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction. https://justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%201/EFTA00000468.pdf (LINK TO THE PICTURE)"

UNKNOWN LOCATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (RELEASED DECEMBER 19, 2025) (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - Access all) (MUTE)

2. STILL PICTURE SHOWING A RANGE OF PHOTOS AS PART OF THE EPSTEIN FILES RELEASED BY DOJ

3. CLOSE UP OF PHOTO SHOWING THE FACE OF PRESIDENT U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

INTERNET (DECEMBER 20, 2025) (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - Access all) (MUTE)

4. VARIOUS SCREENSHOTS OF LIST OF FILES WITH THE NUMBER "468" MISSING FROM THE FILE SEQUENCE