The Justice Department has released previously withheld FBI interview files containing an unverified allegation that Donald Trump sexually abused a minor, after an NPR investigation found dozens of pages were missing from the public Epstein database, despite a law explicitly mandating their release.
The new documents, published on 5 March 2026, include 16 pages covering three additional FBI interview summaries with a woman who alleged she was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein and, separately, by Trump, when she was a minor in the early 1980s, allegations that Trump has repeatedly and categorically denied.
The disclosure triggered an immediate bipartisan confrontation on Capitol Hill, with Attorney General Pam Bondi subpoenaed to testify before the House Oversight Committee by a 24-19 vote that included five Republicans breaking with the White House.
The Missing Files and What They Contain
The FBI's involvement with the accuser began in July 2019, weeks after Epstein's arrest on federal child sex trafficking charges. The woman, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, claimed that around 1983, when she was around 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump, 'who subsequently forced her head down to his exposed penis which she subsequently bit.
In response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out.' That summary appeared in an internal FBI list of claims and in a Justice Department PowerPoint slide deck cataloguing 'prominent names' in the Epstein and Maxwell investigations, but not, until this week, in the public database.
The FBI interviewed the woman four times. Agents marked most of the accusations in the broader Epstein files as unverifiable or not credible, though one lead, including hers, was sent to the FBI's Washington office with the purpose of setting up an interview with the accuser. The newly published material goes into further detail. In the newly-published documents, the woman described how Trump allegedly put her head 'down to his penis' and she 'bit the s*** out of it.' She alleged that Trump struck her and said something to the effect of 'get this little b**** the hell out of here.'
During the final interview the woman had with the FBI in 2019, when asked whether she 'felt comfortable detailing her contacts with Trump,' she reportedly asked 'what the point would be of providing the information at this point in her life when there was a strong possibility nothing could be done about it.' The accuser subsequently broke off contact with investigators. An email sent between FBI agents and included in the files notes that 'one identified victim claimed abuse by Trump but ultimately refused to cooperate,' although it does not specify if it is the same person.
How NPR's Investigation Forced the DOJ's Hand
The Justice Department withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump. Some files had not been made public despite a law mandating their release. These included what appeared to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews, as well as notes from conversations with the accuser.
NPR's reporters cross-referenced unique serial numbers stamped onto documents in the Epstein files database against FBI case records, emails and discovery document logs in the latest tranche published at the end of January 2026.
NPR's investigation previously found 53 pages that appeared to be missing from the public database. Now that 16 pages have been published, there are still 37 pages of records missing from the public database, including notes from the interviews, a law enforcement report and licence records.
The Justice Department's explanation shifted as the scrutiny mounted. The Justice Department has repeatedly told NPR that any documents withheld were 'privileged, are duplicates or relate to an ongoing federal investigation.' Last week, after NPR's initial story, the Justice Department said it was determining if records had been mistakenly tagged as duplicates and if any were found, 'the Department will of course publish it, consistent with the law.'
The White House Response and Congressional Fallout
The White House has consistently rejected the substance and significance of the allegation. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told NPR that Trump 'has done more for Epstein's victims than anyone before him,' adding: 'Just as President Trump has said, he's been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein. And by releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee's subpoena request, signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and calling for more investigations into Epstein's Democrat friends, President Trump has done more for Epstein's victims than anyone before him.'
The legal framework underpinning the disclosure fight is the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law on 19 November 2025. The Act states explicitly that no record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary. In a 14 February letter to Congress first reported by Politico, Attorney General Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche insisted that no records were withheld on any of those grounds.
That assurance did not prevent a bipartisan revolt. On 4 March 2026, the House Oversight Committee voted 24-19 to subpoena Bondi, a motion brought by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and backed by four other Republicans: Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Rep. Ro Khanna, co-sponsor of the Epstein Transparency Act, commended Mace and emphasised the bipartisan nature of the motion, saying: 'It's about transparency. It has nothing to do with being a Democrat or a Republican. It's about going after predators and people who are sexually harassing.'
Ranking Member Robert Garcia of California, who confirmed he personally reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Justice Department, was direct in his assessment. 'Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes. Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the President of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House cover up,' he said.
With 37 pages still absent from the public record, a subpoena for Bondi's sworn testimony pending, and a sitting president's name embedded in unresolved FBI case documents, the distance between what has been released and what the law requires has never looked wider or more politically combustible.
