Donald Trump and the Department of Justice insist they’re committed to “maximum transparency” regarding the Epstein Files. At the same time, the DoJ keeps redacting exactly the material the public is asking to see.
In the latest tranche of Epstein-related releases, a June 11, 2021, email mentioning Trump’s name quietly slipped out to the public. Yet, the most important part of it didn’t: a Trump-Maxwell image. It’s public knowledge that the DoJ is legally required to leave the mentions of high-profile individuals unredacted. Yet, their attempt to shield Trump has been brutally exposed.
It’s Trump’s department after all. They’re too dumb for the public’s good. The now-viral document is an email exchange between officials reviewing evidence from Steve Bannon’s phone. The message plainly states that they found “an image of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell” on Bannon’s device. In fact, the email was sent exactly for the purpose of flagging the image.
Yet, the attached image was completely blacked out.
I hope you’re well! I’m helping out with the responsiveness review for WBTW and I’ve been looking through Steve Bannon’s iPhone 7 on Cellebrite. As I was going through the images from that phone, I found an image of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell on Bannon’s phone (see screenshot from Cellebrite, attached).
The DoJ probably missed that the email describes the redacted image
The email is unambiguous. An official reviewing Bannon’s iPhone using Cellebrite found the image, discussed it internally, and flagged it. The recipient was apparently working “on both cases.” But the response from them is even more disappointing: “No need to do anything on this one.” And just like that, the photo disappears behind a wall of black ink.
Thankfully, that unlawful redaction didn’t go unnoticed. Julie K. Brown, whose reporting helped crack the Epstein case in the first place, flagged it publicly, writing:
This photo of Donald Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell that was found on Steve Bannon’s cell phone should be made public.
The department has no defense to justify the shameless redaction
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, DOJ redactions are supposed to be narrow. Only victim identities, minors, and sensitive personal information are allowed to be blacked out. The department also explicitly claimed it would not redact material to protect powerful or politically exposed figures. But Donald Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell are neither victims nor anonymous civilians.
Trump’s and Maxwell’s names already appear repeatedly across public records, testimony, and released documents. So why is their photo treated like contraband? That question is cutting to the heart of the backlash now erupting online. One user on X wrote, “You know your govt is covering for the pervert-in-chief.” Another added, “There is ZERO legal reason why this should have been redacted.”
What the DoJ is doing is selective protection. It has nothing to do with privacy or procedure. If the DOJ can publish internal emails and third-party allegations involving other high-profile figures, why are they trying to whitewash Trump’s past?
The image was visual evidence showing Trump alongside Epstein’s closest partner. Redacting this image didn’t protect victims. It only protected power.
Published: Dec 29, 2025 03:45 am