What the Withheld FBI Memos Say: Woman Describes 1980s Sexual Assault by Epstein and Trump
Previously withheld FBI interview summaries detail a woman's account of being sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein as a 13-year-old in the 1980s, with a separate encounter involving Donald Trump. The documents were only published after NPR discovered they had been removed from the DOJ database.
The Documents
On March 5, 2026, the Department of Justice published 16 pages of previously withheld FBI interview summaries — known as "302" memos — after NPR and CNN investigations revealed they had been removed from the public Epstein files database. The documents describe a woman's account of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein beginning in the 1980s, when she was approximately 13 years old.
What the Woman Told the FBI
The woman contacted the FBI shortly after Epstein's arrest in July 2019. According to the newly released memos:
- She told agents that a man named "Jeff" living in Hilton Head, South Carolina, had raped her in the 1980s when she was around 13 years old
- She said she did not know the man's full identity at the time, but decades later concluded he was Jeffrey Epstein after a friend texted her his photo from a news story
- In a follow-up interview, she added that Epstein had schemed to have her mother sent to prison, beaten her, and arranged sexual encounters with other men
- She claimed Epstein once flew her to either New Jersey or New York, where she described an encounter with Donald Trump
The Trump Allegation
An FBI email summarizing the claims stated that around 1983, when the woman was approximately 13, Epstein introduced her to Trump, "who subsequently forced her head down to his exposed penis which she subsequently bit. In response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out."
Context and Credibility
Federal investigators noted several issues with the account:
- There is no indication that Epstein ever lived in South Carolina during the time period described
- It was unclear whether Trump and Epstein knew each other during the early 1980s; their documented relationship began later
- The FBI characterized the report as one of a number of uncorroborated accounts that agents received from members of the public after Epstein's arrest
- Some of the reports received contained what agents described as "sometimes fantastical" claims about Trump and other famous people
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
Why These Documents Were Withheld
The memos were among 47,635 files removed from the DOJ's public Epstein database. The DOJ initially said the removals were to protect survivors and avoid interference with ongoing investigations. However, critics have pointed out that the withheld documents included materials unfavorable to President Trump, raising questions about political motivations.
NPR's investigation specifically identified these Trump-related FBI memos among the withheld materials, prompting the DOJ to publish them.
The Broader Pattern
These documents are part of a larger pattern of missing FBI interview summaries discovered by journalists. CNN found dozens of additional witness interviews — all 302 memos — that were absent from the public database. The full scope of withheld materials remains unknown.
The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to explain the criteria used for withholding documents from the public release.