Criticism is growing after thousands of documents from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released. Leading Democrats on Saturday demanded an explanation after a previously released picture of Donald Trump was not included in the documents.
"If they take this (picture) down, just imagine how much more they're trying to hide. This could be the biggest cover-up in American history," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.
According to US media, about a dozen other images have been removed from the released files. In addition, many documents are heavily redacted, including a 119-page legal document.
One of Epstein's victims, Jess Michaels, says she spent hours going through the documents to find his statements and communications with the FBI tip line.
"I can't find anything. Is this the best the government can do?" she tells CNN.
The Justice Department released a statement late Saturday local time defending the decision to withhold information.
"Photographs and other material will continue to be reviewed and edited with great care in accordance with the law as we receive further information," the statement on X said.
Ryan Goodman, a professor of law at New York University School of Law, is critical of how the documents were handled.
“The Justice Department’s defense of withholding information from Congress and the public would not hold up in the first instance with the courts,” he writes on X.
Republican Thomas Massie, who has been a driving force in getting the documents published, shares the post on his X account and writes that the Justice Department "is grossly failing to follow the spirit of the law."
