[Newsletter](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters) | FOIA Files ## 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.’ [[Donald Trump]], [[Melania Trump]], [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] at Mar-a-Lago in 2000. Photographer: Davidoff Studios Photography/Archive Photos By *Welcome back to FOIA Files! This week, I'm delving into the [[Jeffrey Epstein]] saga: We know from news reports that [[Donald Trump]]'s name was in the Epstein files. But what hasn't been reported is that an [[FBI]] FOIA team redacted Trump's name—and the names of other prominent public figures—from the documents, according to three people familiar with the matter* *who were not authorized to speak with the media.* *That team, tasked with conducting a final review of the voluminous cache, had applied the redactions before the [[DOJ]] and the [[FBI]]* [*concluded*](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline) *last month that "no further disclosure" of the files "would be appropriate or warranted."* ### ‘The most transparent administration in history’ Before explaining the government's rationale for blacking out Trump's name, let's recap. Along with aliens and JFK's assassination, conspiracy theories surrounding the life and death of convicted sex-offender [[Jeffrey Epstein]] have long consumed MAGA. Epstein avoided federal sex-trafficking charges in 2008 when he agreed to plead guilty to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution. In July 2019, following an investigation by the Miami Herald that also scrutinized the integrity of the government's probe, [Epstein was indicted](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/jeffrey-epstein-charged-manhattan-federal-court-sex-trafficking-minors) on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. A month later, he died by suicide in his jail cell, federal law enforcement authorities said, while awaiting trial. Epstein's death led to a swirl of renewed interest among Trump supporters, which in recent months has verged into an obsession. Last year, while still on the campaign trail, Trump [vowed to "declassify" material](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-years-including-2024-campaign-trail/story?id=123778541) in the government's possession pertaining to Epstein. Before [[Pam Bondi]] was nominated as attorney general by Trump, she insisted that the public had a right to know more details about the case. "If people in that report are still fighting to keep their names private," [she said on Fox News last year](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.foxnews.com/video/6344240670112), "they have no legal basis to do so, unless they're a child, a victim, or a cooperating defendant." In January, [[Kash Patel]], the [[FBI]] director, [told a Senate Committee](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.c-span.org/clip/senate-committee/user-clip-cut-15-patel-confirmation/5155752) during his confirmation hearing that he'd ensure "the American public knows the full weight of what happened." Then on [[February 27, 2025]], during a highly publicized event at the White House, [[Pam Bondi]] rolled out what the Justice Department referred to as the " [first phase](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-releases-first-phase-declassified-epstein-files) " of the release of the Epstein files. It was attended by former Pizzagate provocateur [[Jack Posobiec]] and other far-right influencers. They were given binders labeled "The Epstein Files" and "The Most Transparent Administration in History" that contained about 200 pages of documents that [[Pam Bondi]] characterized as "declassified." She also suggested that the records would contain previously undisclosed details about Epstein. Instead, [[Pam Bondi]]'s big Epstein files party was a bust. It turned out the documents she called declassified, which included pages from Epstein's infamous " [black book](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1391321/dl?inline)," had been previously released, most recently during the criminal trial of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] four years earlier. (The black book revealed Trump's name and the names of his wife, [[Melania Trump]], and other family members.) A page from Epstein’s “black book,” containing the names of various contacts, which included Trump. ### Trump’s name blacked out What happened next kicked off a new phase in the Epstein saga. As I reported in the [[March 28, 2025]] [edition](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-03-28/fbi-agents-foia-staff-pulling-all-nighters-reviewing-jeffrey-epstein-files) of FOIA Files, [[Kash Patel]] directed [[FBI]] special agents from the New York and Washington field offices to join the bureau's FOIA employees at its sprawling Central Records Complex in Winchester, Virginia and another building a few miles away. Senior officials at the [[FBI]]'s Record/Information Dissemination Section, which handles the processing of FOIA requests, pushed back on the directives. [[Michael Seidel]], the section chief of RIDS who worked at the [[FBI]] for about 14 years, was quite vocal, the three people familiar with the matter told me. [[Kash Patel]] blamed him for the failure to send all of the Epstein files to [[Pam Bondi]]. Then, a couple of months ago, [[Michael Seidel]] was told he could either retire or be fired, according to the people. He chose the former and quietly left the [[FBI]], the people said. The details related to [[Michael Seidel]]'s exit haven't been previously reported. [[Michael Seidel]] could not be reached for comment. For example, when congressional committees request documents from, say, the [[FBI]] or the Justice Department, FOIA analysts and contractors are brought in to review the records and apply redactions in accordance with the law. When the [[DOJ]] prepared to publicly release former Special Counsel [[Robert Mueller]]'s report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election, FOIA exemptions were used to determine what information should be withheld. 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. A White House spokesperson would not respond to questions about the redactions of Trump's name, instead referring questions to the [[FBI]]. The [[FBI]] declined to comment. The Justice Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment. ### Established precedent In 2016, I requested all of the [[FBI]]'s files on Trump prior to his presidential campaign. In response, the [[FBI]] neither confirmed nor denied that any records existed, based on the same two privacy exemptions. I ended up suing the bureau and modifying my FOIA request to center on Trump's businesses. That allowed me to overcome the privacy exemption and report [this story](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/if-you-keep-fucking-with-mr-trump-we-know-where-you-live). Another noteworthy example: The [[DOJ]] cited the same exemptions to justify withholding [[Donald Trump Jr]]'s name from the [[Mueller Report]]. (My attorneys and I believed it was an improper use of the privacy exemption. We fought to get his name unredacted and [won](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/mueller-report-donald-trump-jr-no-charges).) Before withholding records under [Exemption 6](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/archives/oip/foia-guide-2004-edition-exemption-6), government agencies are supposed to conduct a balancing test to determine if their release would *significantly* contribute to the public’s understanding of the operations or activities of the government. It's way more difficult to make a case for disclosure when names are also withheld under [Exemption 7(C)](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/archives/oip/foia-guide-2004-edition-exemption-7c). That's partly because the [[DOJ]] [has said](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://www.justice.gov/archives/oip/foia-guide-2004-edition-exemption-7c) that the very "mention of an individual's name in a law enforcement file will engender comment and speculation and carries a stigmatizing connotation." Also, FOIA case law has established that the names of private individuals contained in law enforcement files will not be released unless they have to be in order to confirm government misconduct. "Unless there is compelling evidence that the agency denying the FOIA request is engaged in illegal activity, and access to the names of private individuals appearing in the agency's law enforcement files is necessary in order to confirm or refute that evidence, there is no reason to believe that the incremental public interest in such information would ever be significant," the [DC Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in 1991 deciding a key FOIA case](https://archive.ph/o/B30Z2/https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/926/1197/258244/). Ever since, this precedent has been a thorn in the side of the FOIA community. It's also the reason Trump's name in the Epstein files is likely to remain under wraps. Disclosing Trump's name, the people familiar said, would neither shed light on how the [[FBI]] conducted its investigation into Epstein, nor that the [[FBI]] engaged in illegal activity. ### ‘Gaslight’ That brings us up to today. After the [[FBI]] redacted the Epstein files, they were sent to [[Pam Bondi]]. (Media reports said [[Pam Bondi]] briefed Trump at the White House in May and told him he was named in the files.) "While we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein," the statement read, "it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." The officials added that "much of the information is subject to court-ordered sealing." Here's the bottom line: The [[FBI]]'s behind-the-scenes decision-making suggests that the chances of aliens resurrecting JFK are greater than Trump's name ever being unredacted from the Epstein files. *Got a tip about the Epstein files or a document you think I should request via FOIA? Send me an email:* [*[email protected]*](https://archive.ph/) *or* [*[email protected]*](https://archive.ph/)*. Or send me a secure message on Signal: @JasonLeopold.666.* ### More from FOIA Files - [Trump Ordered a Mountain Name Change. 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