'This issue is not going away': Attorney eviscerates DOJ's claim on withheld Epstein files

Former Justice Department attorney Dave Aronberg took aim at the Trump administration on Sunday over its explanation as to why a series of accusations against President Donald Trump were withheld from the DOJ’s recent release of files on Jeffrey Epstein, an explanation he called “unlikely.”

In February, it was discovered that several records from a woman who accused both Trump and Epstein of sexual assault were missing from the DOJ’s release of files on Epstein. Last Friday, the DOJ released the records in question, claiming that they had been withheld due to being mistakenly labeled as duplicates.

Appearing on MS NOW’s “Alex Witt Reports” Sunday, Aronberg – a former state attorney of Palm Beach County, Florida – was asked what he thought of the DOJ’s explanation, and whether he thought it was "plausible."

“It is unlikely that they were duplicates or they thought they were duplicates,” Aronberg said bluntly.

“Remember, this 13-year-old girl who came forward and made these allegations, she had four separate interviews with the FBI. The releases were of the first interview, when she pointed the finger at Epstein but did not accuse Trump of anything. The second, third and fourth interviews where she accused Trump, those were the ones that were not released.”

The newly released records include several interviews with a woman accusing Trump of sexual assault in an incident that ended with Trump reportedly hitting her and pulling her hair. According to records, the woman, whose name is redacted, indicated she was between 13 and 15 years old at the time of the incident.

Aronberg claimed that today, the accuser is “apparently 55 years old,” another detail he said raised more questions as to why the records were withheld in the first place, and whether Trump and Epstein had become friends earlier than in the late 1980s as previously reported.

“The decisions on releasing these documents are clearly, in my mind, being made out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it's the guy whose picture is on the banner outside the Department of Justice,” Aronberg said.

“This issue is not going away. Those allegations were before, apparently, Trump had met Epstein, so that's where another layer of questions come in. So there still needs to be more digging here.”

Due to the sheer volume of Epstein-related materials released by the DOJ, many of the documents contain unverified, uncorroborated allegations that do not constitute evidence, and do not establish wrongdoing. Trump is not facing any criminal charges or investigations related to the allegation.