In an ever-so confusing back-and-forth, the US Department of Justice has now restored a photo on its Jeffrey Epstein library, which showed US President Donald Trump in the company of the late convicted sex offender years ago. The image was originally published on the DOJ website as part of its Epstein Files release on Friday (US time).

Shortly after that, it was removed from the public database, prompting massive backlash from Democrats, netizens and Epstein survivors alike, who accused the government of a “cover-up.”

About the Trump photo featured in Epstein Files release

The picture in question showed a shelf full of framed photographs. Right underneath it, an opened drawer, allegedly at one of Epstein’s estates, revealed a trove of other physical copies of images, photo albums and some documents.

At least pictures in there appeared to feature Trump. One was a bigger physical copy that showed the MAGA leader posing alongside Melania Trump, Epstein and the convicted pedophile’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. This particular well-known photo was taken in February 2020 at the Republican politician’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

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The other easier to miss snap seemingly caught Trump surrounded by bikini-clad women.

Why was the Trump photo removed from the Epstein Files

Upon restoring the picture on the DOJ website, the government department issued a firm statement suggesting why it was deleted in the first place.

“The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims,” the Justice Department said in a post on X.

“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.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also addressed the issue in an NBC interview early Sunday (US time). He claimed that the image was pulled off the DOJ website after learning there were concerns about women in the photo. While speaking on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ he asserted the deletion had “nothing to with President Trump.”

In an interaction with ABC News the day before, Blanche had asserted that the DOJ was making efforts to hold back anything, even names of political figures like Trump or Bill Clinton. “We’re not redacting the names of famous men and women that are associated with Epstein,” he emphasised, while adding that any document mentioning Trump would also be made public, assuming its release was “consistent with the law.”

DOJ hit with backlash, chatter of ‘White House cover-up’

The disappearance of the Trump photo, along with several other documents, further boosted criticism directed at the DOJ, as the department had failed to release all files related to Epstein on December 19, as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The first batch, anyway incomplete, also included heavily redacted filed, with hundreds of pages completely blacked-out.

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The Committee on Oversight and Accountability Democrats, or just simply known as Oversight Democrats, were quick to flag the deletion of the Trump photo. Noting how File 468 had been removed, they shared the previously posted image on X, questioning Attorney General Pam Bondi, “Is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

Ohio Representative Shontel Brown also wrote on X, “Trump and his lackeys have proven one thing – they’re absolutely committed to the coverup.” In a follow-up tweet, Oversight Dems succinctly charged, “This is a White House Cover-Up.”

Furthermore, Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie, who led the charge in pushing for a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, announced on Sunday that they and other Congress members were considering holding Pam Bondi in contempt.

While also hoping to hold the DOJ accountable for missing the Dec 19 deadline for the Epstein Files release, Massie said on CBS’ Face the Nation, “The quickest way, and I think the most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to brig inherent contempt against Pam Bondi.”

Contrarily, Khanna issued a big warning in his interaction with CNN on Friday, “Congress is talking about possible impeachment. They’re talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general. Any Justice Department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration.”

On top of that, he told NBC News on Sunday that he and Massie were “building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents.”