President Donald Trump left Washington and headed straight to Mar-a-Lago as a firestorm erupted over the mysteriously vanishing Epstein files, fueling accusations of a cover-up and igniting backlash across the political spectrum.
The sudden departure came less than a day after more than a dozen files tied to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein quietly disappeared from the Department of Justice website.
Among them was a photograph showing Trump alongside Melania Trump, Epstein, and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The files were live on Friday. By Saturday, they were gone. No explanation. No notice. No apology.
Trump addressed the economy at a rally in North Carolina on Friday night but pointedly refused to answer questions about the Epstein release or the missing documents.
Hours later, Air Force One touched down in Florida as critics accused the administration of running from the controversy rather than confronting it.
Democrats immediately cried foul. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the episode “one of the biggest cover-ups in American history,” demanding answers about who ordered the files removed and why the public was kept in the dark.
House Oversight Democrats echoed the charge, writing bluntly on social media: “This is a White House cover-up.”
Republicans were not satisfied either. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) accused the Justice Department of “flaunting the law,” while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) blasted the redactions and disappearances as “not MAGA.”
Others warned that the handling of the files risked permanently damaging trust with Trump’s own base, which has long demanded full transparency on Epstein.
The DOJ offered no immediate explanation for the missing files.
An automatic statement later insisted the Trump administration is “the most transparent in history,” citing the release of thousands of pages and cooperation with congressional subpoenas, per the Daily Mail.
Critics noted that transparency rings hollow when files vanish overnight without explanation.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper publicly scrolled through page after page of blacked-out documents live on air, calling the release “100 pages of redaction.” Several Epstein victims also spoke out, saying the partial release and disappearing files felt like yet another betrayal.
“I just want the files out,” said Marina Lacerda, who has said Epstein began abusing her when she was 14. “Stop protecting people who don’t need protecting.”
The controversy deepened as Democrats pointed to comments from Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who previously acknowledged Trump was “in the file,” while insisting he was not accused of wrongdoing. Schumer seized on those remarks, asking what else might be quietly removed if politically inconvenient.
Trump has long said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago years ago and denies any involvement in Epstein’s crimes. He faces no criminal accusations related to the case.
Still, the optics of missing files, heavy redactions, and a sudden retreat to Mar-a-Lago have only intensified suspicion.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche later admitted the release was incomplete and said more documents would come out on a rolling basis. However, the Justice Department has not said when the missing files will be restored or why they were removed in the first place.
