Newly released FBI emails reveal how Justice Department officials scrambled last summer to review files on Jeffrey Epstein's associates, with President Trump's name at the top of a sensitive list. Agents compiled derogatory information and salacious allegations, including claims of sexual misconduct dating back decades. The documents show officials preparing for a massive document release under a November law requiring disclosure of Epstein-related records.

Despite promises of transparency, key investigative memos remain missing from the more than three million pages released in January. Officials initially withheld interview transcripts involving allegations against Trump, later releasing them after questions from The New York Times. The department's three-stage review process failed to catch these omissions, raising doubts about the completeness of the public record.

The missing documents include detailed FBI 302 reports that typically underpin such allegations. One involved a South Carolina woman's claims of assault by both Epstein and Trump in the 1980s, while another concerned an alleged 1987 incident at Trump Plaza. Officials called these cases duplicative before reversing course, highlighting confusion in the review process.