Report: FBI Redacted Names, Including Trump, From Epstein Files

A Bloomberg report Friday revealed that the FBI redacted President Donald Trump’s name, along with those of other high-profile individuals, from documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and financier who died by suicide in 2019. 

These redactions were part of a review of approximately 100,000 pages of Epstein-related records, conducted by nearly 1,000 FBI agents in March 2025, following a directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The redactions were applied by the FBI’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) team, citing privacy protections, as Trump and others were private citizens when the federal investigation into Epstein began in 2006. The Justice Department and FBI ultimately decided in July 2025 that no further disclosure of these files was “appropriate or warranted,” stating that no evidence of a “client list” or criminal activity linked to Trump was found, despite his name appearing in Epstein’s contact book and flight logs.

The report has sparked controversy, particularly among Trump’s supporters, who have long demanded the release of all Epstein files, fueled by conspiracy theories about a supposed “client list” implicating prominent figures. The Justice Department’s review concluded that no such list exists, and Epstein’s death was reaffirmed as a suicide, contradicting persistent claims of a cover-up. 

Posts on X reflect ongoing public skepticism, with some alleging a cover-up due to the redactions and the administration’s reluctance to release more documents, though these claims remain speculative and unverified.

The appearance of a name in Epstein’s files, such as Trump’s, does not indicate wrongdoing, as Epstein associated with many high-profile individuals. Trump has acknowledged a past friendship with Epstein but claims they fell out over a decade before Epstein’s 2019 arrest, and he has denied visiting Epstein’s private island.