FOIA Documents Show Epstein Files Had Flag List Which Included The Term ‘POTUS’
from the we-don't-need-to-talk-about-the-sex-offender-in-chief dept
MAGA, the GOP, and the Trump administration don’t really care about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking. The MAGA GOP made a lot of noise during Biden’s single term because they were sure the files would show a Pizzagate’s-worth of Democratic political figures engaged in the ritual abuse of underage girls.
Once Trump was elected in 2024, the furor died down. While the MAGA faithful were willing to take down their own just to put a few Dems’ heads on spikes, they were suddenly less audible once they realized any document dump would take down a few of their own. Even Donald Trump seemed to know this, which is he why he shifted his focus elsewhere.
It took a literal act of Congress to get the Epstein files released, despite Trump and other GOP figures having promised to put this at the top of the MAGA to-do list if they retook the White House. Trump engaged in multiple rounds of spin, hoping to make it look as though demanding the release of the files and refusing to release the files were both the same side of the MAGA coin.
Trump’s DOJ then reluctantly began complying with the law. Millions of records were withheld. Those that were released were riddled with redactions, forcing politicians on the other side of the political divide to demand more releases with fewer redactions. Meanwhile, a handful of leaks and unforced errors revealed the Trump DOJ was doing whatever it could to cover for Trump and anyone else Trump might want to have redacted from rolling Epstein File releases.
FOIA requests are incapable of expediting the full release of the Epstein Files. But they are capable of sniffing out the details of the Trump administration’s attempts to maintain control of the “this was mainly Dems” narrative even as it seeks to satiate the MAGA base that has been demanding access to these files for years.
This report for Bloomberg — written by “FOIA terrorist” Jason Leopold and Harry Wilson — not only details FBI Director Kash Patel and former DOJ deputy director Dan Bongino attempts to spin Trump’s refusal to release documents as demonstrative of his “full transparency” promises.
It also shows the DOJ’s pre-release review of the files had President Trump in mind the entire time. While pretending to be engaging in radical levels of transparency and complying with both the letter and the spirit of law, the DOJ was actually flagging anything that might include Trump for the apparent reason of keeping these files out of the public’s hands.
In addition to the discussions about Ferguson and Hervey, the documents contain other noteworthy details, including a spreadsheet dated March 25, 2025 and titled “DOJ Document Flag List.” The first page, labeled “FLAGGED Items List, per case – per DOJ guidance,” includes a case number associated with the FBI’s 2006 investigation of Epstein by its Miami field office.
[…]
There are 16 entries on the list where the reason for the flag was simply marked “POTUS.” Those items include magazine and newspaper articles, message pads, phone message books and one unidentified record.
The report notes that some of these flagged files have since been released. But others have not and this FOIA release by the DOJ perhaps points to why they have not been. The DOJ could have cleared everything up with an explanation, but of course it didn’t, because why would it.
DOJ referred a request for comment on the “Flag List” to the FBI, which declined to comment.
Assuming every “no comment” is an admission of guilt is as fatuous as assuming everyone who pleads the Fifth is guilty of whatever they’ve been accused of. We won’t be doing that here. But it is strange that agencies that treat every request for comment as an opportunity to engage in attacks on journalists and/or personal attacks on the person making the request would have absolutely nothing to say here. Read into that what you will.
Filed Under: doj, donald trump, epstein files, faux transparency, foia, jason leopold, jeffrey epstein, kash patel, opacity, todd blanche, trump administration
Comments on “FOIA Documents Show Epstein Files Had Flag List Which Included The Term ‘POTUS’”
Weird how an administration more than happy to hire child molesters and domestic abusers for ICE and CBP is also trying to protect people from being called out for their connections to (or work with) a notorious child-abusing human trafficker who was allowed to keep raping underage girls even while he was supposed to be serving time for sex crime charges. 🤔
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Wait, are you talking about Trump?
Worth noting is that in some contexts “No Comment” shall be presumed to be the worst case imaginable.
If, for example, a District Attorney ‘refuses to say’ how evidence was obtained, then everyone else must presume the worst way.
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Shouldn’t the same be true if they do say, on the basis that we’d have no idea whether they’re telling the truth?
Donald Trump was friends with a well known international pedophile and human trafficker.
Donald Trump stole classified documents, among them nuclear secrets and Erik Prince (of Blackwater, ne Xe, ne Academi, ne Constellis holdings.) was the bag man who handed the documents over, Ivanka and Jared are holding the money.
He is a court adjuicated rapist and serial liar who routinely praises Nazis and dictators.
Who is personally responsible for hundreds of murders and acts of piracy as well as war crimes. While simultaneously running the most corrupt government administration in modern history.
Might be time to admit this country has a problem.
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You mean the land of slavery and the Confederacy might have some unaddressed issues? That’s crazy.
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Clearly it needs more cowbell.
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Yeah, neat, Epstein was still huuuugee democratic operative and everyone involved with him was leftist.
There was no refusal to release, there were just a ton of documents and most of dubious value, like the guys in lineup that Massie and Ro Khanna (quite wrongfully) read on the floor.
You are all such idiots, it’s really amazing.
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And where’s the proof?
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[citation needed]
Also, considering Trump’s own lengthy relationship with Epstein, wouldn’t your logic make Trump a leftist? I suppose that makes sense, though, considering he’s pushing to have the government take over private industry… 🤔
Then why did it take months after the whole “I have the list on my desk right now” debacle for the Trump administration to release the Epstein Files, and why did releasing those files require a practically unanimous act of Congress aimed at forcing their release?
…says someone who is trying to downplay the cover-up of the crimes of a human trafficker and child rapist as “insignificant” because a whole hell of a lot of rich people—including some rather rich and powerful conservatives—are implicated in at least being friendly with Epstein after his plea deal for committing sex crimes.
And before you say it: I don’t give a fuck what political alignment/party/whatever someone belongs to if they’re implicated in Epstein-related crimes. Left, right, Dem, GOP, Christian, atheist, rich, poor, black, white, male, female, straight, gay, cis, trans—none of that shit matters more than whether they did crimes with or for Epstein. Out of power, out of society, they all gotta fuckin’ go.