FBI interviews withheld from mandatory release; Congress subpoenas Attorney General Pam Bondi as bipartisan pressure mounts

BREAKING · EPSTEIN FILES

DOJ Releases Hidden Epstein Files Naming Trump in Minor Abuse Claim

By ISN Global News Desk | Washington / Lahore Published: Friday, March 6, 2026 | Sources: NPR, CNN, Al Jazeera, OPB

■ TIER 1 — THE LEAD: What Happened

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) released additional Jeffrey Epstein files on Thursday that include FBI interview records of a woman who alleges President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was between 13 and 15 years old — after being introduced to him by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

These documents had been absent from the congressionally mandated public database. The DOJ initially claimed they were "mistakenly marked as duplicative" — but the omission only came to light after independent investigations by NPR and CNN exposed the gaps.

■ TIER 2 — KEY FACTS: What the Files Say

The newly released FBI 302 memos cover three additional interviews conducted with the accuser in August and October 2019. The woman told agents that Epstein flew or drove her to either New York or New Jersey when she was a young teenager and took her to a "very tall building."

There, she says, Epstein introduced her to Trump. According to the FBI interview summary, Trump asked everyone to leave the room and made a remark to the effect of "let me teach you how little girls are supposed to be." The woman told agents she resisted, after which Trump struck her and ordered her removed.

"She 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." — FBI Agent's summary of accuser's final interview, October 2019

In her final FBI interview in October 2019 — conducted during Trump's first presidency — agents pressed her to elaborate on her interactions with Trump. She declined further cooperation and broke off contact. The FBI subsequently stopped pursuing her account.

■ TIER 3 — DEVELOPING ANGLE: The Suppression Trail

NPR's investigation found the FBI interviewed this accuser four times. Only the first interview — which does not mention Trump — was included in the public release. Of 15 documents listed in discovery logs for this accuser, only seven were made public. Investigators identified approximately 53 pages of FBI interview documents and accompanying notes that appear to have been withheld.

A separate CNN analysis found dozens of witness interview memos missing from the Epstein archive. The DOJ has not provided a clear explanation for why the Trump-related material was specifically absent.

Trump is mentioned more than 1,000 times across the 3 million Epstein documents released since January 2026. Most references are incidental — news clippings, commentary — but the files also contain an FBI-compiled list of unverified assault claims against Trump, and a separate account from one of Epstein's victims who stated that Ghislaine Maxwell once "presented her" to Trump at a party.

■ TIER 4 — RESPONSES: White House, DOJ, Congress

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement saying Trump has been "totally exonerated by the release of the Epstein files," describing the accusations as "completely baseless" and "backed by zero credible evidence." Leavitt noted the accuser "has an extensive criminal history" and pointed out that the Biden-era DOJ had knowledge of these claims for four years and took no action.

The DOJ acknowledged that some documents contain "untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election." The department said mistakes in a project reviewing 3 million documents are "inevitable," adding that approximately 1% of files had issues with redactions or tagging.

In a significant political development, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi — with five Republicans joining Democrats — demanding she testify under oath about the DOJ's handling of the Epstein file release. Democrats on the committee have described the withholding as a potential crime.

"Trump has been totally exonerated by the release of the Epstein Files." — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

■ TIER 5 — BACKGROUND CONTEXT

• The Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed by Congress and signed by Trump — after he initially opposed it for months — requiring the DOJ to release all Epstein-related files.

• Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in August 2019. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on charges of sex trafficking.

• Trump has a decades-long documented friendship with Epstein. A 1997 photograph shows both men together at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

• The DOJ confirmed it is not currently investigating any individual connected to Epstein and does not expect charges to be filed.

• The accuser identified in these files, "Jane Doe 4," voluntarily dismissed her civil lawsuit in December 2021 and reportedly received a financial settlement from Epstein's estate.

• Trump directed the DOJ to open a separate investigation into Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats. That probe was opened but has not resulted in any new cases.

■ TIER 6 — WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

• Whether AG Pam Bondi complies with the congressional subpoena or invokes executive privilege.

• Whether the DOJ releases the additional batches of files flagged as "forthcoming."

• Whether the bipartisan fracture on the Oversight Committee widens into broader Republican defections on the Epstein issue.

• Whether any new corroborating evidence or witnesses connected to the Trump-related allegations emerge from the remaining withheld pages.

⚠ Editorial Note: All allegations against President Trump cited in this report are unverified and unproven in a court of law. The FBI has not publicly indicated it found these claims credible. ISN Global News reports these facts in the public interest as part of ongoing coverage of the Epstein files release.

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