At least 15 newly-released Epstein files have disappeared from DOJ's website, records show

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At slightest 15 files that were released by the Justice Department Friday successful narration to convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein were nary longer disposable connected the department's website connected Saturday, CBS News has determined.

CBS News downloaded the implicit acceptable of documents connected Friday and compared it to what is disposable Saturday.

It was unclear wherefore the files are missing. CBS News has reached retired to the Justice Department for comment.

One of the missing files showed a wide of framed photos connected a credenza desk. The photos showed erstwhile President Bill Clinton, and different was of the pope. In an unfastened drawer, determination was a photograph of President Trump, Epstein, and Epstein subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Other missing files included photos of a country with what appeared to beryllium a massage array and nude photos and nude paintings.

The occurrence has deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department's much-anticipated papers release. The tens of thousands of pages made nationalist offered small caller penetration into Epstein's crimes oregon the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to debar superior national charges for years, portion omitting immoderate of the astir intimately watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and interior Justice Department memos connected charging decisions.

Some of the astir consequential records expected astir Epstein are obscurity to beryllium recovered successful the Justice Department's archetypal disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.

Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and interior Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could person helped explicate however investigators viewed the lawsuit and wherefore Epstein was allowed successful 2008 to plead blameworthy to a comparatively insignificant state-level prostitution charge.

The records, required to beryllium released nether a caller instrumentality passed by Congress, hardly notation respective almighty figures agelong associated with Epstein, including Britain's erstwhile Prince Andrew, renewing questions astir who was scrutinized, who was not, and however overmuch the disclosures genuinely beforehand nationalist accountability

Among the caller nuggets: penetration into the Justice Department's determination to wantonness an probe into Epstein successful the 2000s, which enabled him to plead blameworthy to that state-level charge, and a antecedently unseen 1996 ailment accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.

The releases truthful acold person been dense connected images of Epstein's homes successful New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with immoderate photos of celebrities and politicians.

There was a bid of never-before-seen photos of Clinton but fleetingly fewer of Mr. Trump. Both person been associated with Epstein, but some person since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of immoderate wrongdoing successful transportation with Epstein and determination was nary denotation the photos played a relation successful the transgression cases brought against him.

Despite a Friday deadline acceptable by Congress to marque everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to merchandise records connected a rolling basis. It blamed the hold connected the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors' names and different identifying information. The section has not fixed immoderate announcement erstwhile much records mightiness arrive.

Jacob Rosen and John Kelly contributed to this report.