Deputy US attorney general Todd Blanche said on Sunday that removing photos from the Jeffrey Epstein files release, including one of Donald Trump, had “nothing to do” with the president, as the justice department restored an image it had removed a day earlier that included within it a photo of Trump.
The US justice department said on Sunday it restored the image after concluding that the photograph posed no risk of public exposure to victims of the late convicted sex offender. Its unexplained removal on Saturday triggered a chorus of accusations from Democrats of political interference in favor of the president, a former friend of Epstein.
Blanche said a total of 16 removals had come at the request of victim advocacy groups. Blanche maintained that an investigation into the photos was ongoing and that images would likely go back up after it was determined whether they needed redactions.
“We don’t have perfect information,” Blanche told NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday. “And so when, when we hear from victims-rights groups about this type of photograph, we pull it down and investigate.”
The 'system has failed the survivors', says victims' rights advocate
Victims’ rights advocate Gloria Allred told CNN on Saturday that the “system has failed the survivors”, including with the release of files that may have been “under-redacted”.
“I saw a number of survivors’ names which should never have been published, because the whole point is to protect the survivors,” she told the outlet.
“The other concern I have also has to do with the images of some of the potential victims and survivors, that some of those images were not redacted, should have been redacted, and in some cases, the images may be of women unclothed. And that is completely unacceptable.”
Sister of Epstein victim reported him in 1996, but FBI failed to investigate, files reveal
While Donald Trump’s justice department did not deliver on a legal requirement to disclose all Jeffrey Epstein-related files by Friday, one document in an otherwise underwhelming disclosure lifted the veil on authorities’ inaction – and its dire consequences for dozens of teen girls.
That document is an FBI report from Maria Farmer, a painter who worked for Epstein around 1996.
Farmer, whose sister Annie Farmer was abused by Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell at age 16, told authorities in 1996 that the late financier “stole” nude images of her siblings.
The DoJ failed to comply with Epstein files law – can Congress do anything?
Multiple Congress members have threatened legal action after Donald Trump’s justice department failed on Friday to release all documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as required by law.
Several attorneys told the Guardian that those making the legal threats do have tools with which to try to follow through. But there’s a major obstacle: those with legal authority in this case are the ones accused of failing to follow the law.
US Coast Guard pursuing another oil tanker off coast of Venezuela
US Coast Guard officials said on Sunday that they are tracking an oil tanker in international waters close to Venezuela, according to Reuters, marking the second such action over the weekend – and the third within the past week.
One official indicated that the tanker is subject to sanctions. The officials, who requested anonymity, did not disclose the precise location of the pursuit.
Gripes and infighting on display at Turning Point gathering
Turning Point USA’s first annual gathering since its leader Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on a college campus has made headlines for public infighting as the stars of Maga conservatism hashed out its future direction. Kirk’s widow Erika said it “feels like a Thanksgiving dinner where your family’s hashing out the family business.”
Louisiana nursing student speaks out during her six-month ICE detention
A recent graduate of the LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing, who has been held in an ICE processing center for the past six months, has spoken of her hopelessness following her arrest.
“The only thing now that I want is my freedom back,” Palacios told Nola.com. “I don’t want to be enclosed in a space where everything is controlled. I have no power to do anything. I feel hopeless all the time. And nothing is moving to help me.”
What else happened today:
Trump has used Truth Social to announce policies on everything from the economy to travel bans, making declarations that are key for Americans seeking information about his government.
A second world war veteran who was among the last survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor died on Saturday.
The former Cleveland officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 was fired from his post as a ranger at a West Virginia resort community on Friday, the fourth known time in seven years that he left a small department following public backlash.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday he held “productive and constructive” talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to find an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine. “Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future,” he said.
Catching up? Here’s what happened Saturday 20 December 2025.
