The Justice Department’s handling of images in the newly released Epstein files has drawn scrutiny after officials redacted or temporarily removed photographs that were already widely available to the public from other sources.
The controversy centers on a batch of images posted online by the Department of Justice in December as part of a court-ordered disclosure tied to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case.
Some of the images were redacted with black squares or briefly removed altogether, even though identical or near-identical versions of the same photographs have circulated publicly for years.
One example involves a photograph showing former President Bill Clinton alongside Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, with several children’s faces obscured by black boxes.
Taj Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, addressed the image in a December 20 post on X, criticizing what he described as media “propaganda and smear campaigns” against his uncle.
Thank you to all the MJ fans for once again quickly and accurately setting the record straight. I know how tiring and frustrating it can be to deal with media propaganda and smear campaigns aimed squarely at my uncle. Especially when it’s plain to see he is constantly being used…
— Taj Jackson (@tajjackson3) December 20, 2025
Taj Jackson added that “the truth will always win out in the end.”
According to a review by The Dallas Express, the photograph in question has been publicly available on Michael Jackson fan forums since at least 2011. The children whose faces were obscured are identifiable in those earlier versions as Ross’s son, Evan Ross, and Jackson’s children, Paris and Prince. The image was taken before or after a Democratic fundraising event at the Apollo Theater in 2002.
The redaction drew questions because the same image, without the faces obscured, has long been accessible online, raising doubts about whether the Justice Department’s action meaningfully protected victims or instead limited the context already available to the public.
A similar dispute arose over an image file that included photographs of President Donald Trump.
The Justice Department temporarily removed the image after it appeared on the agency’s website, citing concerns raised by victims’ rights groups. The image showed a desk or credenza with multiple photographs, including one of Trump with Melania, Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell, and another of Trump with several women who appear to be adults in bikinis.
The picture with Melania was already widely available online; the bikini photo was not.
After backlash from lawmakers and online users, the Justice Department restored the image on December 21, saying in a post on X that “there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.” Officials denied that the removal was related to Trump’s presence in the image, according to a report by CNBC.
The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims.
Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no…
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) December 21, 2025
Michael Jackson was previously tried on child molestation charges and was acquitted in 2005. No allegation related to Epstein was made against Jackson in the released materials, and the photographs themselves do not indicate criminal conduct.
The broader release of the Epstein files has faced criticism from both parties, with lawmakers and victims’ advocates questioning why only a fraction of materials were disclosed and why some content was altered or withheld. The disputes have fueled accusations that the Justice Department is inconsistently applying redactions, even when the underlying images are already part of the public record.
The Dallas Express reached out to the DOJ for comment, but did not receive a response.
