U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Branch said Sunday that the removal of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s archives, including one of Donald Trump, had “nothing to do” with the president, as the Justice Department restored a photo it had deleted a day earlier that included a photo of Trump.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Sunday it had restored the photo after determining it did not pose a risk of public exposure to the deceased sex offender’s victims. It was removed for unknown reasons on Saturday, prompting a chorus of accusations from Democrats of political interference in support of Epstein’s former friend the president.
Branch said a total of 16 people were deported at the request of victims’ rights groups. Branch insisted that an investigation into the photos is ongoing and the images may resurface after determining whether they need editing.
“We don’t have complete information,” Branch told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “So when we hear from victims’ rights groups about photos like this, we take them down and investigate.”
Victims rights advocate says ‘system fails survivors’
Victims rights advocate Gloria Allred told CNN on Saturday that “the system has failed survivors,” including by releasing documents that may have been “under-edited.”
“I saw some names of survivors that should never have been released because the focus was on protecting survivors,” she told the outlet.
“My other concern also relates to some of the images of potential victims and survivors, some of which have not been edited and should have been, and in some cases may be of naked women. This is completely unacceptable.”
Read the full story
Sister of Epstein victim reported him in 1996 but FBI failed to investigate, documents show
Although Donald Trump’s Justice Department has stopped short of releasing all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by Friday as required by law, an otherwise mundane disclosure has lifted the lid on authorities’ inaction and its horrific consequences for dozens of teenage girls.
The document is an FBI report from Maria Farmer, a painter who worked for Epstein around 1996.
Farmer’s sister, Annie Farmer, was abused by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 16. Farmer told authorities in 1996 that the late financier “stole” nude photos of her siblings.
Read the full story
The Justice Department failed to comply with the Epstein Dossier Act—Is there anything Congress can do about it?
Multiple members of Congress threatened legal action after Donald Trump’s Justice Department failed on Friday to release all documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as required by law.
Several lawyers told the Guardian that those issuing legal threats do have the tools they can use to carry them out. But there’s a major obstacle: Those with legal authority in this case are accused of not following the law.
Read the full story
U.S. Coast Guard pursues another oil tanker off Venezuelan coast
U.S. Coast Guard officials said on Sunday they were tracking an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, the second such operation over the weekend and the third in the past week, Reuters reported.
An official said the tanker was subject to sanctions. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not disclose the specific location of the pursuit.
Read the full story
Complaints and infighting at Turning Point parties
Turning Point America’s first annual rally since its leader Charlie Kirk was shot to death on a college campus made headlines amid public infighting as stars of MAGA conservatism debate its future direction. Kirk’s widow, Erica, said it “felt like Thanksgiving dinner, where the family was discussing the family business.”
Read the full story
Louisiana nursing student speaks out during six months in ICE detention
A recent graduate of LSU Health New Orleans’ College of Nursing who has been held in an ICE processing center for the past six months spoke of her despair after her arrest.
“The only thing I want now is to be free,” Palacios told Nola.com. “I didn’t want to be enclosed in a space where everything was controlled. I had no power to do anything. I felt hopeless all the time. Nothing could help me.”
Read the full story
What else happened today:
Are you catching up? this is what happened Saturday, December 20, 2025.
