The second in command at the Department of Justice is defending the decision to take down more than a dozen photos from the Jeffrey Epstein files published online last week.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in an interview on Dec. 21 acknowledged the department pulled at least 15 photographs from the government website hosting the massive trove of documents related to the late convicted sex offender.
In an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Blanche said the removal of the photos came at the request of victim advocacy groups and that they will "go back up" after the department investigates whether they need to make further redactions.
Several media outlets over the weekend reported that 15 or 16 photographs initially included in the publicly released files were taken down. One of the images was that of a desk, with an open drawer containing several printed photographs, including at least one showing President Donald Trump. The removed files reportedly also show various works of art, including those containing nudity.
More: Epstein files takeaways: Heavy redactions, celebrity photos, Trump mentioned
