Democratic Representative Robert Garcia has accused the US Department of Justice of illegally withholding FBI interviews related to allegations that President Donald Trump sexually abused a minor, claiming the agency violated congressional subpoenas and federal transparency laws.
Garcia, the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released a statement on Tuesday alleging that the DOJ removed files from the public release of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“For the last few weeks, Oversight Democrats have been investigating the FBI’s handling of allegations from 2019 of sexual assault on a minor made against President Donald Trump by a survivor,” Garcia said.
The congressman stated that after reviewing unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice, he could confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with a survivor who accused Trump of crimes.
The allegations relate to claims made by a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by Trump in the early 1980s, when she was approximately 13 years old. According to reports, only the initial four interviews with the accuser are available in the public database, and these do not mention Trump.
Garcia said the missing records violate both the Oversight Committee’s subpoena and the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed by Congress requiring the release of millions of pages of federal records connected to Epstein and his associates.
“Under the Oversight Committee’s subpoena and the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these records must immediately be shared with Congress and the American public. Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the President of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House cover up,” Garcia said.
Oversight Democrats announced they will open a parallel investigation into the matter.
An investigation by NPR found discrepancies in the public release, reporting that a review of serial numbers and internal logs indicated that dozens of pages associated with FBI interviews and supporting notes appear to be missing.
The Justice Department declined to provide specific explanations for its decisions, stating generally that withheld files could be privileged, duplicative or part of ongoing investigations.
The White House has denied any favouritism or wrongdoing by Trump, maintaining that he has been “totally exonerated” in Epstein-related matters. Officials pointed to Trump’s public statements supporting transparency efforts and his signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law.
