The FBI Redacted Trump's Name in the Epstein Files The bureau's FOIA team tasked with conducting a final review [View all]

LOTS of details in this article.



The FBI Redacted Trump’s Name in the Epstein Files

The bureau’s FOIA team tasked with conducting a final review of the records blacked out the names before higher-ups said last month that releasing the documents ‘would not be appropriate or warranted.’

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-01/epstein-files-trump-s-name-was-redacted-by-the-fbi

By Jason Leopold August 1, 2025 at 9:35 AM CDT


...............The FBI employees reviewed the records using the Freedom of Information Act as their guide for deciding what information should be withheld. That alone isn’t uncommon. In the FOIA, Congress established nine exemptions as a way to balance the public’s right to know against the government’s need to protect sensitive interests, such as national security, official deliberations, ongoing law enforcement proceedings or privacy. When such competing interests arise in non-FOIA matters, those exemptions are often applied even if the exact language set forth in the FOIA statute doesn’t appear in the final record.

For example,................

While reviewing the Epstein files, FBI personnel identified numerous references to Trump in the documents, the people familiar with the matter told me. Dozens of other high-profile public figures also appeared, the people said. (The appearance of Trump’s name or others in the Epstein files is not evidence of a crime or even a suggestion of wrongdoing.)

In preparation for potential public release, the documents then went to a unit of FOIA officers who applied redactions in accordance with the nine exemptions. The people familiar with the matter said that Trump’s name, along with other high-profile individuals, was blacked out because he was a private citizen when the federal investigation of Epstein was launched in 2006.

In particular, the reviewers applied two FOIA exemptions to justify their redactions. The first, Exemption 6, protects individuals against “a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” The Supreme Court has said the exemption protects "individuals from the injury and embarrassment" that would result from the disclosure of personal information in possession of the government.

The second, Exemption 7(C), protects personal information contained in law enforcement records, the disclosure of which “could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” .............................



Pictures/photos from the article:


https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/i6J5nYOf5t8g/v1/1546x1192.webp
A page from Epstein’s “black book,” containing the names of various contacts, which included Trump.




Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in 2000.
Photographer: Davidoff Studios Photography/Archive Photos

Exactly! The 1,000 or so employees were tasked with marking the names of high profile figures for redaction. There was even a master spreadsheet on the high side SharePoint used to log the mentions of Trump himself for redaction. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

— Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.com) 2025-08-01T15:09:45.892Z