The White House posts a cryptic redacted photo, and people are wondering what game they’re playing

The Donald Trump administration is under fire after Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson posted a heavily redacted photo from the Jeffrey Epstein files. The image falsely suggested that Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross were pictured with Epstein’s victims. However, the photo is actually from a public fundraiser event.

According to HuffPost, Jackson shared the image on X on Friday, right after the Justice Department released the documents. The photo showed the “Thriller” singer, Clinton, and Ross with several minors whose faces were blurred out. Jackson wrote that the Department of Justice was told to only redact the faces of victims and minors. She described the image as a picture of Bill Clinton with his arm around Michael Jackson and redacted individuals.

Progressive media quickly called out the press secretary for trying to mislead the public. They pointed out that the people in the photo were Michael Jackson’s sons and Diana Ross’ son, not victims. The image is a widely available photo from a fundraiser they attended together, making Jackson’s claims completely false.

The Trump administration faces serious transparency questions over missing Epstein files

Congress passed bipartisan legislation last month that forced the Department of Justice to release documents, images, and recordings related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite this order, the newly released documents included heavy redactions that raised questions.

The misleading photo isn’t the only transparency problem the administration is facing. By Saturday, dozens of files that were available after Friday’s release simply disappeared from the documents. The White House gave no official explanation for why these files vanished, which immediately led to accusations that President Trump’s DOJ is selectively hiding information. This incident adds to ongoing tensions within Trump’s White House that have been making headlines recently.

The Trump administration also faced criticism for allegedly removing photos of President Trump from the files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche denied these claims on “Meet the Press” Sunday, calling the speculation “laughable.” Blanche said the DOJ removed the photo only because of the women who were also in the image, and it had nothing to do with President Trump.

Bill Clinton’s spokesman, Angel Ureña, accused the White House of trying to deflect attention after Clinton appeared in multiple images within the files. Ureña claimed the Trump administration is shielding themselves from what comes next or what they’ll try to hide forever. The White House did not respond to requests for comment about the misleading photo post.

Using a public photo to falsely imply involvement in sex crimes, along with files mysteriously disappearing, creates serious problems for anyone demanding full transparency about the Epstein investigation. The administration’s handling of this critical release continues to raise concerns about their commitment to transparency, especially as Trump’s latest controversies continue to emerge.