Washington, D.C. — March 6, 2026
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday released a set of previously withheld FBI interview summaries from 2019, reigniting controversy over Jeffrey Epstein‘s network as they include detailed but uncorroborated allegations that President Donald Trump sexually assaulted an unidentified woman when she was between 13 and 15 years old.
The documents, posted on the department’s website, consist of three FBI 302 forms—summaries of interviews conducted with the woman in August and October 2019—following Epstein’s arrest that summer on federal sex trafficking charges. In the accounts, the woman, whose name remains redacted, described being introduced to Trump by Epstein in a “very tall building with huge rooms” in either New York or New Jersey during the 1980s.
According to the summaries, she alleged that Epstein arranged the encounter, during which Trump attempted to force her to perform oral sex. She claimed she bit him in self-defense, prompting him to pull her hair and strike her on the side of the head. She further stated that others reentered the room afterward and that she met Trump on two additional occasions, though details on those were limited in the released portions.
The woman also recounted broader experiences with Epstein, including repeated sexual assaults—sometimes in the presence of other wealthy men—alleged drugging, and recruitment of other girls. She described overhearing discussions between Epstein and Trump involving blackmail, money laundering through casinos, and derogatory terms for young women such as “fresh meat” or “tainted.” Additional claims included Epstein blackmailing her mother with explicit photos, leading to financial demands and her mother’s eventual imprisonment.
The Justice Department explained the prior omission of these specific summaries from the larger Epstein files release as an initial determination that they were duplicative, a classification later corrected after media scrutiny and investigations by outlets including NPR, Politico, Reuters, and The New York Times highlighted the discrepancies. Democrats in Congress had pressed for full transparency, questioning potential withholding related to the president.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt swiftly rejected the allegations, describing them as “completely baseless accusations, backed by zero credible evidence.” She pointed to the woman’s criminal record and the lack of corroboration in the FBI notes, which contain no agent assessments or supporting evidence beyond the accuser’s statements.
Trump has long denied any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities, stating his association with the financier ended years before Epstein’s convictions and that he was unaware of any abuse. The released files do not include new corroborating evidence or charges; they represent unverified claims documented during the FBI’s Epstein probe.
The disclosure arrives amid heightened political tensions, with some commentators suggesting the timing distracts from other administration priorities, including ongoing Middle East developments. Legal experts note that statutes of limitations for such historical allegations would likely preclude prosecution, and no civil suits stemming from these specific claims have been publicly reported.
The Epstein files continue to generate public interest, with millions of pages released under congressional mandate, though redactions for victim privacy and other reasons persist. As investigations into the Justice Department’s handling conclude, the latest batch underscores the enduring shadow of Epstein’s crimes over prominent figures.
