Epstein

The Epstein saga has flipped the script within the MAGA movement. Having spent years accusing the Democrats of an establishment cover-up, many right-wing influencers are now turning against their idol, President Trump, as he resists calls to release the files.

Contributors:
Joan Donovan – Director, CriticalNet
Mehdi Hasan – Editor-in-chief, Zeteo News
Miles Klee – Culture writer, Rolling Stone
Danielle Moodie – Host, The Danielle Moodie Show

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WASHINGTON — President Trump sued Dow Jones and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for libel on Friday, striking back against the publication of a bombshell story in the Wall Street Journal alleging the president sent a sordid letter to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s.

The Journal, a Dow Jones publication, reported Thursday that Trump sent a raunchy 50th birthday card to Epstein that included a sketch of a naked woman, featuring breasts and a squiggly “Donald” signature mimicking pubic hair.

The paper said it had reviewed copies of a collection of lewd letters that Epstein’s longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, gathered from Epstein’s friends and colleagues and compiled in an album to mark his 2003 birthday.

“We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday, adding that the suit also targets Murdoch and the reporters on the story.

The suit comes amid renewed questions over the nature of Trump’s years-long friendship with Epstein, the late and disgraced financier whose sprawling sex trafficking ring victimized more than 200 women and girls.

On Friday, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said that FBI officials reviewing more 100,000 records from the Epstein investigation in March were directed to flag any documents that mentioned Trump.

In a letter to leadership of the Justice Department, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said his office “was told that these personnel were instructed to ‘flag’ any records in which President Trump was mentioned.”

Trump had already been facing mounting pressure from his MAGA base to publicly release Justice Department files from the case of Epstein.

Trump ordered Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to reverse course on a recent decision to close the case and unseal grand jury testimony. The Justice Department filed a motion to begin that process on Friday afternoon.

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump announced Thursday on Truth Social. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”

The Department of Justice and FBI declared earlier this month in a memo that Epstein’s case was closed and his 2019 death in a New York city jail was a suicide. But Bondi, a Trump appointee and arch loyalist, immediately agreed Thursday to Trump’s new demand.

“President Trump — we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,” Bondi wrote on X.

It remains to be seen if Trump and Bondi will persuade a federal judge in New York to release the grand jury transcripts. Such documents are typically not made public and released only under narrowly defined circumstances.

Trump and Epstein became friends in the 1980s.

“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Mr. Trump told New York magazine, in 2002, noting that Epstein was “a lot of fun to be with” and “likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

But their friendship apparently broke down in 2008 after Epstein was convicted of child sexual offenses. Their relationship — and the possibility of Trump’s involvement in Epstein’s crimes — has been scrutinized ever since.

The Epstein case has riveted Trump’s Republican base, largely because of the multimillionaire financier’s connections to rich and powerful people they suspect were involved in his child sex trafficking.

But releasing the files is not entirely up to Trump, even if he wanted to.

“You’ve got decades’ worth of materials,” said David Weinstein, a Miami defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, who said the disclosure of grand jury information is governed by federal rules and cannot be released without a court order.

Even if material does get released, it will pertain only to Epstein and Maxwell’s direct activities — and will be much more limited than the volume of investigative materials, including witness interviews, emails, videos and photos that otherwise exist.

Additionally, “there’s a lot of redactions that will have to be made,” Weinstein said, noting the number of individuals who might have been associated with Epstein during the investigation but were not themselves suspected or charged with crimes. “You’ve seen some of that already in the civil cases that were filed, and where courts have said, ‘No, this is what can be put on the docket.’”

After the Department of Justice dropped the case, many of Trump’s most vocal allies, such as U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), openly dissented from the administration and called for the release of all files.

Earlier this week, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie introduced the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would require Bondi to make public all unclassified records, documents and investigative materials that the Department of Justice holds on the Epstein case.

“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes,” Massie said in a statement. “Americans were promised justice and transparency. We’re introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on releasing the COMPLETE files.”

A poll conducted by the Economist/YouGov this month found that 83% of Trump’s 2024 supporters favor the government releasing all material related to the Epstein case.

Wilner reported from Washington, Jarvie from Atlanta. Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.

US Justice Department files a motion in Manhattan federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in the Epstein cases.

United States President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal publication and its owners, including media magnate Rupert Murdoch, seeking at least $10bn in damages over the publication of a bombshell report on the president’s friendship with the infamous high-society sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump filed the lawsuit in federal court in the Southern District of Florida on Friday, as he attempts to prevent a growing scandal around the Epstein case from spreading further and threatening to cause him serious political damage.

Trump also instructed the US Justice Department to file a motion in Manhattan federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in the Epstein case and that of his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who in 2021 was convicted of five federal charges related to her role in Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls.

In the defamation lawsuit, Trump accuses Dow Jones, News Corp, Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal reporters of acting with malicious intent that caused him overwhelming financial and reputational harm. Dow Jones, the parent company of the newspaper, is a division of News Corp.

Before filing the case, Trump wrote on Friday morning on his social media platform Truth Social: “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!”

Representatives of Dow Jones, News Corp and Murdoch have yet to comment on the case.

Trump once considered Epstein a friend, and the controversy surrounding the now deceased high-profile figure, who took his own life in prison, has prompted conspiracy theories, especially among the far-right supporters of the US president.

Trump supporters were enraged last week when US Attorney General Pam Bondi reversed course on the president’s election campaign pledge to release court documents that some believed contained damning revelations about Epstein and his alleged elite clientele.

Trump denies penning lewd Epstein birthday message

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a letter bearing Trump’s signature was sent to Epstein for one of his birthday celebrations.

The newspaper said the letter contained a lewd handwritten reference to a woman, with the message: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret,” and featured the signature “Donald”.

Following publication, Trump denied sending the letter to Epstein and lashed out at the newspaper.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Many among Trump’s base of supporters believe the government is covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful, and some do not believe he died by his own hand.

A Justice Department memo released on July 7 concluded that Epstein killed himself and said there was “no incriminating client list” or evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent people.

However, Bondi, the US attorney general, had pledged months ago to release major revelations about Epstein, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs”, before reversing course. On Friday, Bondi’s Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said public interest in the Epstein case had prompted the Justice Department to file a request with the court to unseal transcripts of the case.

Trump, who was photographed with Epstein multiple times in social settings in the 1990s and early 2000s, told reporters in 2019 that he ended his relationship with Epstein before his legal troubles became apparent.

Donald Trump’s MAGA base appears to be in revolt over his administration’s Epstein findings. During the election, Trump promised to release the Epstein files but now says they don’t exist. Soraya Lennie explains the fallout.

A collection of letters gifted to the deceased, high-profile sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, on his birthday in 2003 includes a birthday note bearing US President Donald Trump’s signature, the Wall Street Journal (WSG) reported on Thursday.

Trump denies having written the letter and, on Thursday, told Attorney General Pam Bondi to request a court release of the transcripts of all grand jury testimony in the Epstein case.

The WSJ claims have reignited intrigue about Trump’s relationship with Epstein. We break down how closely, exactly, the two men associated with each other over the years.

What was in Trump’s birthday letter to Epstein?

According to the WSJ report, Epstein was gifted a leather-bound collection of letters and notes for his 50th birthday in 2003.

This had been compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate and partner, who was later charged as Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice in his sexual abuse operation. She was found guilty in 2021 and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence handed down in 2022.

The letter included typewritten text in the third person. It also featured a drawing of a woman’s breasts and was signed “Donald”. The drawing appeared to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker, the WSJ reported.

The letter ended with: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.

Following the revelations about the letter, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.

“I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his a** off, and that of his third rate newspaper. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DJT.”

He also wrote: “Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”

Soon after Trump’s statement, Bondi announced on X that the Justice Department planned to request the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in court on Friday.

Here’s what we know about how well the two men really knew each other.

1980s: Trump and Epstein are friends

in 2002, Trump told the New York Magazine that he had been friends with Epstein since about the late 1980s.

In the 1980s, Trump was a businessman and a real estate mogul.

“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump said.

“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life,” Trump continued.

1990s: Trump and Epstein are spotted at parties together, flying together

Through the 1990s, the two men were spotted socialising at high-profile gatherings.

In November 1992, Trump threw a party with NFL cheerleaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He had invited NBC to record the event.

The tape from the party, published by NBC online in 2019, shows Trump laughing with Epstein, their conversation drowned by the really loud music.

In 1997, Epstein and Trump were seen together at the Victoria Secret “Angels” party in New York.

Trump also frequently flew on Epstein’s private jets – seven times in total between 1993 and 1997 – according to flight logs presented as evidence during Maxwell’s trial.

This included four times in 1993, once in 1994, once in 1995 and once in 1997. The flights were between Palm Beach and New York, and they included a stop in Washington, DC.

2000s: The two continue to party, Trump’s name in Epstein files

There are pictures of the two men at a party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in 2000.

These images also feature Maxwell and Trump’s now wife, then known as Melania Knauss.

In January 2024, about 950 pages of court documents identifying associates of Epstein were made public.

Trump was mentioned in these documents, but was not accused of anything.

Virginia Giuffre, one of the women who accused Epstein of sexual abuse, told the court that she was working at Mar-a-Lago when she was recruited by Maxwell to become Epstein’s masseuse at the age of 16.

Giuffre said that Epstein and Maxwell groomed her into performing sexual acts with adult men, including Prince Andrew.

Johanna Sjoberg, another woman who accused Epstein of sexual abuse, recalled a 2001 flight from Florida on which she and Virginia Giuffre, then underage, were among the passengers.

Due to a storm, the plane diverted to Atlantic City, where they visited one of Trump’s casinos.

Sjoberg said of Giuffre: “I did not know anything about how old you had to be to gamble legally. I just knew she could not get in because of an ID issue, so she and I did not gamble.”

Giuffre died by suicide in April this year.

2003: Trump’s birthday letter to Epstein

The WSJ published the text of a letter allegedly written by Trump for Epstein’s birthday. It appears to be in script form:

“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything.

Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.

Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.

Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.

Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?

Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.

Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

According to the report, Trump told the WSJ on Tuesday that he did not write the letter, and threatened to sue the publication. “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” he told the Journal.

“The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,” Trump reiterated in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Rupert Murdoch controls the WSJ’s publisher, News Corp.

2004: Trump and Epstein have a real estate dispute

In 2004, Trump and Epstein had a falling out over a foreclosed oceanfront mansion in Palm Beach.

The Washington Post reported that Trump had outbid Epstein on the property.

Since that date, there was sparse public evidence of the two men interacting.

2006: Epstein faces criminal charges

In 2005, Florida police investigated claims Epstein had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl after the girl’s parents made the complaint.

Epstein was charged by Palm Beach police officials with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor.

However, the State Attorney took the unusual step of referring the case to a grand jury, which indicted Epstein on a single count of soliciting prostitution.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to charges involving a single victim. He served 13 months in jail under a work-release programme that permitted him to leave during the day for work and return to jail at night.

2019: Epstein is jailed again and dies in prison

During Trump’s first presidential term in 2019, federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking.

In July 2019, Trump was asked by a reporter about Epstein, to which he responded: “Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach.”

Trump added: “I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years.”

Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019.

During an interview after Epstein’s death, Trump said about the case: “I want a full investigation, and that’s what I absolutely am demanding.”

2025: Trump’s shifting stance on the ‘Epstein list’

In 2024, while campaigning for the election, Trump said he would release information about the Epstein case.

He also appointed Pam Bondi to be the Attorney General.

During an interview with Fox News in February, Bondi was asked, “The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients, will that really happen?”

She responded, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.”

However, on July 7, the US Department of Justice released a memo stating that a government review had found no evidence that Epstein had a specific “secret client list”.

The memo also reaffirmed that Epstein had died by suicide, a claim that many conspiracy theorists among Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) base disbelieve. They believe Epstein was murdered because he had sensitive information about powerful figures, and that this was covered up.

When Trump and Bondi were questioned by reporters about the July 7 memo, Trump said: “I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy, with what happened in Texas,” referring to flash floods that roiled the southern US state over the weekend before the memo was released, killing 109 people.

“It just seems like a desecration,” Trump added.

Trump recently expressed anger towards his supporters over Epstein conspiracy theories.

“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday.

US president threatens to sue US newspaper for publishing details of lurid letter he allegedly wrote to deceased sex offender in 2003.

United States President Donald Trump has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to request a court release grand jury testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case, as uproar over the controversy widens.

The case of deceased high-profile sex offender Epstein has dominated news recently after the Trump administration reversed course last week on its pledge to release documents it had suggested contained damning revelations about Epstein and his alleged elite clientele.

That reversal enraged many of Trump’s most loyal followers and prompted allegations that his administration is covering up lurid details of Epstein’s crimes to protect rich and powerful figures.

Trump himself had been associated with Epstein and once called him a friend.

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday.

Shortly after Trump’s statement, Attorney General Bondi said on social media that the Justice Department was ready to ask the court on Friday to unseal the grand jury transcripts.

“President Trump – we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,” Bondi wrote.

The latest development comes just hours after Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal after it published a story about an alleged risque letter he wrote to Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman. The WSJ story, which quickly reverberated around the US capital, says the note to Epstein bearing Trump’s signature was part of a collection assembled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.

The newspaper said it reviewed the letter but did not print an image.

“The Editor of The Wall Street Journal… was told directly by [White House Press Secretary] Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

“Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway,” he said.

“President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. [Rupert] Murdoch, shortly. The Press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don’t even exist,” he added.

The alleged letter, which Trump denies writing, involves several lines of typewritten text, contained in an outline of a naked woman drawn with a marker.

“The future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,” the Journal reported.

“The letter concludes: ‘Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.’”

Trump told the WSJ: “This is not me. This is a fake thing.”

“I don’t draw pictures of women,” he said. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”

Epstein took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 – during Trump’s first term – after being charged with sex trafficking in a scheme where he allegedly groomed young and underage women for sexual abuse by the rich and powerful.

The Trump-supporting far-right has long latched onto the scandal, claiming the existence of a still-secret list of Epstein’s powerful clients and that the late financier was, in fact, murdered in his cell as part of a cover-up.

US President Donald Trump says he’s ordered the US Justice Department to produce “all pertinent” grand jury testimony related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted minutes later: “We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”

The development comes after days of sustained pressure from Trump’s Make America Great Again (Maga) supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

It’s unclear from the post whether Trump is authorising the public release of additional documents or when that could come – though such action would typically require the approval of a court.

While campaigning last year, Trump promised to release files relating to the disgraced financier.

However Bondi last week announced that the US Justice Department did not believe Epstein had a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – despite conspiracies over his death.

That prompted furious response from scores of Trump’s most ardent supporters who have called for Bondi to resign after failing to produce the list, which Trump officials had previously claimed to have in their possession.

Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death while incarcerated happened more than a decade after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender.

WASHINGTON — The case of Jeffrey Epstein, closed long ago by investigators but nevertheless a constant source of fascination to conspiracy theorists, is the story that won’t go away for President Trump, who this week continued to resist releasing documents in the case against bipartisan calls and increasing national interest.

The case has dogged Trump’s second term from the start, ever since the attorney general, Pam Bondi, alluded to the existence of a list of Epstein’s clients sitting on her desk in February. Bondi later said she misspoke and that no such list exists. But the president’s MAGA base and Democrats alike are now calling for the entire Justice Department file of Epstein material to be released, an appeal so far rejected by Trump and his aides.

Trump’s defensiveness over the file has put Republicans on Capitol Hill in the difficult position of appearing to protect Epstein’s co-conspirators, as Democrats take advantage of the internal Republican divide with calls for a vote to release the documents. A poll conducted by the Economist/YouGov this month found that 83% of Trump’s 2024 supporters want the government to release all material related to the Epstein case — “past supporters,” as Trump referred to them Wednesday, calling them “weaklings” and “foolish” for pressing their interest in the case.

Epstein, a wealthy financier with a deep bench of powerful friends, died in a New York City prison in August 2019 facing federal charges over a child sex trafficking conspiracy. The charges followed reporting by the Miami Herald of a scandalous sweetheart deal brokered by federal prosecutors in Florida that had allowed Epstein to serve a months-long sentence and avoid federal charges that could have resulted in life imprisonment.

One of those prosecutors, Alexander Acosta, later became Labor secretary in Trump’s first administration. He resigned amid a public outcry, weeks before Epstein’s death.

The New York City medical examiner and the inspector general of the Justice Department have ruled Epstein’s death a suicide. This month, the FBI released what it characterized as the “full raw” footage from a camera near what it says was Epstein’s prison cell at the time of his death. But suspicions of conspiracy were only turbocharged by the release of the tape, which Wired first reported had three minutes cut from the original footage, according to metadata of the file.

Epstein’s known association with some of the world’s most famous men, including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, have fueled calls for their release. But it is Trump’s highly public relationship with Epstein that has caused the story to resurface.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Elon Musk, Trump’s largest donor in the 2024 presidential campaign and his close aide in the White House at the beginning of his term, wrote on X during their fallout last month. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” (He later deleted the post.)

Photos of Trump and Epstein attending parties together have proliferated online. And Trump frequently acknowledged their friendship before entering politics. “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

On Wednesday, Trump said Bondi should release only material from the Epstein files that “she thinks is credible.” When asked whether he would support the appointment of a special counsel to examine the case, he replied, “I have nothing to do with it.”

“I would say these files were made up by [former FBI Director James] Comey and [former President] Obama, made up by the Biden [administration], and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax,” he said.

On Wednesday, Maurene Comey, James Comey’s daughter and a federal prosecutor who had worked on the Epstein case, was dismissed from the Justice Department. Comey said Thursday that the department gave her no reason for her firing.

In a briefing Thursday, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the president’s opposition to a special prosecutor.

“The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case,” she said. “That’s how he feels.”

Legitimate concerns have been raised over releasing documents from the case that could reference individuals who are not credibly suspected of wrongdoing. But those calling for the release of the entire file now say that the scale of Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring, and the corruption around efforts to protect him over nearly two decades, are a matter of public interest.

“We want the entire file — we don’t trust Bondi to say what’s credible and what’s not,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told MSNBC on Thursday. “We can be the judge of that ourselves.”

On Capitol Hill, responding to Republican concerns over the optics of voting against the release, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is considering a measure that would call for the files to be made public.

The measure would be nonbinding, a source familiar with the matter said.

NEW YORK — President Trump is lashing out at his own supporters as he tries to clamp down on criticism over his administration’s handling of much-hyped records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, which Trump now calls a “Hoax.”

“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this “bull——,” hook, line, and sinker,” Trump wrote Wednesday on his Truth Social site, using an expletive in his post. “They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.”

“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he went on.

The rhetoric marks a dramatic escalation for the Republican president, who has broken with some of his most loyal backers in the past, but never with such fervor.

The schism centers on his administration’s handling of the Epstein, who was found dead in his New York jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges. Last week, the Justice Department and the FBI acknowledged that Epstein did not maintain a “client list” to whom underage girls were trafficked, and they said no more files related to the investigation would be made public, despite past promises from Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.

Bondi had suggested in February such a document was sitting on her desk waiting for review. Last week, however, she said she had been referring generally to the Epstein case file, not a client list.

“It’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public,” she had said at one point.

Trump has since defended Bondi and chided a reporter for asking about the documents.

“I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is,” he said Tuesday.

The blowup comes after Trump and many figures in his administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have spent years stoking dark and disproved conspiracy theories, including embracing QAnon-tinged propaganda that casts Trump as a savior sent to demolish the “deep state.”

Trump’s comments so far have not been enough to quell those who are still demanding answers.

“For this to go away, you’re going to lose 10%” of the “Make America Great Again” movement, former adviser and Steve Bannon said during a gathering of young conservatives recently.

Far-right commentator Jack Posobiec has said he will not rest “until we go full Jan. 6 committee on the Jeffrey Epstein files.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also appeared to break with Trump, calling for the Justice Department to “put everything out there and let the people decide.”

“The White House and the White House team are privy to facts that I don’t know. This isn’t my lane. I haven’t been involved in that, but I agree with the sentiment to put it out there,” Johnson told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.

Colvin writes for the Associated Press.

US president opens door to releasing more information on accused sex trafficker as supporters rebel.

United States President Donald Trump has expressed support for the release of “credible” files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein amid outrage among his supporters over his administration’s handling of the case.

Trump said on Tuesday that US Attorney General Pam Bondi should disclose “whatever she thinks is credible” about the government’s investigations into Epstein as he sought to quash a growing backlash on the political right.

“She’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her,” Trump, who last week encouraged supporters to move on from the case, told reporters at the White House in Washington, DC.

“Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”

Trump also claimed the so-called Epstein films were “made up” by former US Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and former FBI director James Comey, despite his administration’s role in publicising their existence.

Trump later on Tuesday repeated his support for the release of “credible” information, even as he expressed disbelief over the continuing fascination with the “sordid” but “boring” case.

“Credible information – let them give it,” he said. “I would say anything that’s credible, let them have it.”

Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement has been up in arms since the release of a law enforcement memo last week that concluded that Epstein died by suicide and there was no credible evidence that he possessed a “client list” or blackmailed powerful figures.

Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges, has for years been the source of lurid theories and speculation, including that he was murdered and used sexual blackmail to compromise powerful figures on behalf of intelligence agencies.

Theorising about Epstein has been particularly frenzied in MAGA circles, which campaigned for Trump’s re-election in the belief he would expose the full extent of the late financier’s crimes and those of his elite connections.

Since the release of the joint US Department of Justice and FBI memo contradicting the most popular theories about Epstein, prominent MAGA followers have accused the Trump administration of breaking its promises and joining a cover-up aimed at protecting Epstein’s associates, possibly including the president himself.

“I want to make this very clear to those on the right, including the president himself, who are telling us to just drop the subject and move on,” conservative commentator Matt Walsh said on his podcast.

“We can’t drop it. We can’t move on.”

Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday became the most powerful Trump ally yet to add to his voice to calls for greater transparency.

“We should put everything out there and let the people decide,” Johnson said in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, adding that Bondi needed to “come forward and explain it to everybody”.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi suggested Tuesday that she has no plans to step down as she dodged questions about Jeffrey Epstein and her clash with a top FBI official, seeking to press ahead with a business-as-usual approach in the face of right-wing outrage that has plunged the Justice Department into turmoil.

Pressed by reporters during an announcement touting drug seizures, Bondi sidestepped questions about the fallout of the Trump administration’s decision not to release more records related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation that has angered high profile members of President Trump’s base. With some calling for her resignation, Bondi made clear she intends to remain attorney general.

“I’m going to be here for as long as the president wants to be here,” Bondi said. “And I believe he’s made that crystal clear.”

The announcement at the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters of recent methamphetamine and fentanyl seizures represents an effort by Bondi to turn the page on the Epstein controversy and show that the Justice Department is forging ahead after days of mounting criticism from figures in the MAGA movement furious over the administration’s failure to deliver long-sought government secrets about Epstein. But her refusal to address the turmoil may only further frustrate conservative influencers who have been calling for transparency and accountability over the wealthy financier’s case.

“This today is about fentanyl overdoses throughout our country and people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl,” Bondi said in response to a question from a reporter about the Epstein files. “That’s the message that we’re here to send today. I’m not going to talk about Epstein.”

Trump has been seeking to tamp down criticism of his attorney general and defended her again earlier Tuesday, saying she handled the matter “very well.” Trump said it’s up to her whether to release any more records, adding that “whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”

Asked about Trump’s comment, Bondi said the Justice Department memo released last week announcing that no additional evidence would become public “speaks for itself and we’ll get back to you on anything else.”

The turmoil over the department’s handling of the Epstein matter spilled into public view last week with reports of a internal clash between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Part of the dispute centered on a story from the news organization NewsNation that cited a “source close to the White House” as saying the FBI would have released the Epstein files months ago if it could have done so on its own. The story included statements from Bondi, Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel refuting the premise, but not Bongino.

Asked Tuesday whether she believes Bongino should remain in his role, Bondi said only that she would not discuss personnel matters. Bondi stressed that she had spent the morning with Patel, adding that: “I think we all are committed to working together now to make America safe again and that’s what we’re doing.”

Bondi had already been under scrutiny after an earlier document release in February that she hyped and handed out in binders to conservative influencers at the White House lacked any new revelations. When that first release flopped, Bondi accused officials of withholding files from her and claimed that the FBI later turned over a “truckload” of evidence with thousands of pages of additional documents.

Despite promises that more files were on their way to the public, however, the Justice Department determined after a months-long review that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” according to the memo released last week.

Richer writes for the Associated Press.

NEW YORK — As his supporters erupt over the Justice Department’s failure to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation, President Donald Trump’s strategy has been to downplay the issue.

His problem? That nothing-to-see-here approach doesn’t work for those who have learned from him that they must not give up until the government’s deepest, darkest secrets are exposed.

Last week, the Justice Department and the FBI abruptly walked back the notion that there’s an Epstein client list of elites who participated in the wealthy New York financier’s trafficking of underage girls. Trump quickly defended Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and chided a reporter for daring to ask about the documents.

The online reaction was swift, with followers calling the Republican president “out of touch” and demanding transparency.

On Saturday, Trump used his Truth Social platform to again attempt to call supporters off the Epstein trail amid reports of infighting between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over the issue. He suggested the turmoil was undermining his administration — “all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”

That did little to mollify Trump’s supporters, who urged him to release the files or risk losing his base. At least one follower responded to Trump’s post by saying it seemed as though the president was just trying to make the issue go away — but assured him it wouldn’t.

The political crisis is especially challenging for Trump because it’s one of his own making. The president has spent years stoking dark theories and embracing QAnon-tinged propaganda that casts him as the only savior who can demolish the “deep state.”

Now that he’s running the federal government, the community he helped build is coming back to haunt him. It’s demanding answers he either isn’t able to or does not want to provide.

“The faulty assumption Trump and others make is they can peddle conspiracy theories without any blowback,” said Matt Dallek, a political scientist at George Washington University. “The Epstein case is a neat encapsulation that it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle.”

A problem that’s not going away

Last week’s two-page statement from the Justice Department and the FBI saying they had concluded that Epstein did not possess a client list roiled Trump’s supporters, who pointed to past statements from several administration officials that the list ought to be revealed.

Bondi had suggested in February that such a document was sitting on her desk waiting for review, though last week she said she had been referring generally to the Epstein case file and not a specific client list.

Conservative influencers have since demanded to see all the files related to Epstein’s crimes, even as Trump has tried to put the issue to bed.

Far-right commentator Jack Posobiec said at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit on Saturday that he would not rest “until we go full Jan. 6 committee on the Jeffrey Epstein files.”

Trump’s weekend post sought to divert attention by calling on supporters to focus instead on investigating Democrats and arresting criminals rather than “spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein.” His first-term national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, pleaded with him to reconsider.

“@realdonaldtrump please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away,” Flynn wrote, adding that failing to address unanswered Epstein questions would make facing other national challenges “much harder.”

Other Trump allies continue to push for answers, among them far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has called for Bondi to resign. She told Politico’s Playbook newsletter on Sunday that a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the handling of the files on Epstein, who was found dead in his federal jail cell in 2019 about a month after he was arrested.

Experts who study conspiracy theories warned that more sunlight does not necessarily make far-fetched narratives disappear.

“For some portion of this set of conspiracy theory believers, no amount of contradictory evidence will ever be enough,” said Josephine Lukito, who studies conspiracy theorists at the University of Texas at Austin.

Trump and his colleagues set their own trap

The president and many figures in his administration — including Bondi, Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel — earned their political capital over the years in part by encouraging disproven conspiracy theories on a range of topics, from elections to vaccines.

Now, they’re tasked with trying to reveal the evidence they’d long insisted was there — a challenge that’s reached across the government.

Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin posted on X what seemed like an endorsement of a notorious conspiracy theory that the contrails left by aircraft are releasing chemicals for potentially nefarious reasons. But a second post from Zeldin underscored the fine line the Trump administration is trying to walk by linking to a new page on the EPA website that essentially debunked the theory.

The value of conspiratorial fabrications is that they help people get political power, said Russell Muirhead, who teaches political science at Dartmouth College. He said Trump has exploited that “more ably than anybody probably in American history.”

But the Epstein case brings unique challenges, he said. That’s because it’s rooted in truth: A wealthy and well-connected financier did spend years abusing large numbers of young girls while escaping justice.

As a result, Trump needs to come forward with truth and transparency on the topic, Muirhead said. If he doesn’t, “large segments of his most enthusiastic and devoted supporters are going to lose faith in him.”

A potentially costly distraction

As right-wing outrage over Epstein dominates the political conversation, Democrats and other Trump rivals have been taking advantage.

Several Democratic lawmakers have called for the release of all Epstein files and suggested Trump could be resisting because he or someone close to him is featured in them. Conservatives expressed concerns that Trump’s approach on Epstein could hurt them in the midterms.

“For this to go away, you’re going to lose 10% of the MAGA movement,” right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon said during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday.

There’s also the challenge of governing.

Bondi and Bongino had a tense exchange last week at the White House over a story about Epstein, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

And Loomer, who is close to Trump, said Friday she was told that Bongino was “seriously thinking about resigning.” Bongino showed up at work Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel issues. The FBI declined to comment.

Patel also took to social media Friday to dismiss what he called “conspiracy theories” that he himself would be leaving the administration.

Dallek, the George Washington University professor, said it’s alarming that the country’s top law enforcement officials are feuding over a conspiracy theory.

“It’s possible at some time voters are going to notice the things they want or expect government to do aren’t being done because the people in charge are either incompetent or off chasing rabbits,” he said. “Who is fulfilling the mission of the FBI to protect the American people?”

Swenson and Riccardi write for the Associated Press. Riccardi reported from Denver. AP writers Eric Tucker, Melissa Goldin and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.

Reporting from Washington — Embattled Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta announced his resignation Friday amid mounting criticism of a lenient plea deal he struck with a now-convicted sex offender while Acosta was a federal prosecutor in Florida.

Acosta’s departure, which takes effect next week, means acting secretaries will head four major federal departments. He is the 11th Cabinet official to quit or be forced out, several under ethical or legal clouds, since President Trump took office.

Trump told reporters that Acosta had called him Friday morning to resign, adding, “It’s his decision.” Acosta said he wanted to avoid becoming a distraction to the administration so it could focus on the economy.

The resignation came two days after Acosta held a news conference to try to save his job by defending the plea agreement he negotiated in 2008 with Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier, when Acosta served as U.S. attorney in Miami.

The news conference was aimed in part at persuading a president who is happy to gin up his own controversies but tends to resent bad publicity caused by underlings. Acosta’s effort to absolve himself of responsibility failed after prosecutors in Florida publicly challenged his account.

On Friday, Trump praised Acosta but did not say he had tried to persuade him to stay.

“I do not think it is right and fair for this administration’s Labor Department to have Epstein as its focus,” Acosta said as he stood beside Trump at the White House before the president departed for a trip to Wisconsin and Ohio for fundraising events and a speech.

Trump seemed less concerned.

“Alex believes that. I’m willing to live with anything,” he said. “Alex felt that way.

“He was a great student at Harvard. He’s Hispanic, which I so admire, because maybe it was a little tougher for him and maybe not,” Trump added. “That’s what I know about him. I know one thing — he did a great job.”

Acosta added that “Cabinet positions are temporary trusts,” a fact that is especially notable in Trump’s White House, which has struggled with record turnover.

Acosta’s departure means Patrick Pizzella, the deputy secretary of Labor, will serve as acting secretary. Pizzella’s career also is tinged by controversy.

A former lobbyist, Pizzella was involved in an effort in the late 1990s and early 2000s to prevent the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific, from adopting federal minimum wage laws.

Pizzella worked on the project with Jack Abramoff, an influential lobbyist who later was sentenced to six years in prison for charges related to fraud.

The issue dogged Pizzella during his Senate confirmation hearings for deputy secretary in July 2017.

“One of the key issues you lobbied on was to block bipartisan legislation for basic worker protections in the Northern Mariana Islands, where garment manufacturers could produce clothing labeled made in the USA without having to comply with U.S. minimum wage laws,” then-Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella group of 200 activist organizations, later accused Pizzella of working to advocate policies “that essentially allowed for unchecked slave labor to be performed.”

Pizzella was confirmed by the Senate, 50-48.

Acosta’s downfall stems from his role in the prosecution of Epstein, a once-powerful financier who socialized with Donald Trump before he became president and Bill Clinton after he left the White House.

Epstein was charged in 2008 with luring underage girls to his Palm Beach, Fla., mansion for sex.

Under the plea agreement with Acosta’s office, Epstein avoided a federal trial — where, if convicted, he could have faced a potential sentence of life in prison — and pleaded guilty instead to two state felony solicitation charges.

He served 13 months in a county jail but was allowed to go to his office six days a week on a work release program.

In February, a judge ruled that the deal was improper because Acosta did not tell victims about the arrangement. The Justice Department subsequently opened an investigation into Acosta’s handling of the case.

Acosta has denied any wrongdoing, but the deal gave rise to a growing chorus of complaints in the #MeToo era that a sexual predator was granted favorable treatment because of his vast wealth and high-powered social connections.

The controversy reignited last weekend when federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with bringing underage girls to his opulent Manhattan townhouse and abusing them. He has pleaded not guilty.

Trump’s own ties to Epstein made the episode increasingly awkward for the White House.

Although Trump has tried to distance himself from his former friend, in a 2002 interview with New York magazine, he called Epstein a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with” while noting that “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

On Friday,Trump reiterated that he had a falling out with Epstein some years ago and that he is “not a fan.” He did not disclose the nature of their dispute.

Acosta had run afoul of the White House before Epstein’s legal problems reemerged. Some of Trump’s advisors had complained that Acosta failed to aggressively pursue deregulation and other pro-business initiatives the president favored.

Before he joined the Trump administration, Acosta served on the National Labor Relations Board and in the Justice Department’s civil rights division under President George W. Bush.

He later was a well-respected dean of Florida International University, a public university in Miami. Much of his role in the Epstein case was known publicly when Trump selected him.

But unlike other presidents who have broad connections in government, Trump came to office as an outsider and relied on the judgment of others to fill out his staff. Vetting in many cases appeared cursory at best.

Acosta said Friday that he had never met or spoken with Trump when he came for an interview in early 2017 and was offered the job.

Like many others who have come into Trump’s orbit, he leaves as a damaged figure.

No modern president has lost as many Cabinet officials or senior advisors in his entire first term as Trump has in his first 30 months, according to records maintained by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas for the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank.

“No matter how you slice the data, the turnover is off the charts,” Tenpas said.

“It handicaps a president’s capacity to enhance his agenda or fulfill his campaign promises,” she added.

In all, eight secretaries who have left permanent Cabinet posts have done so under pressure or protest.

Only one moved to another administration job. That was John F. Kelly, who left as secretary of Homeland Security to become White House chief of staff. Kelly left the latter post in January after multiple disputes with Trump, and his replacement, Mick Mulvaney, is still in an acting capacity.

Three other Cabinet officials who do not head permanent Cabinet departments also left — one under pressure and two voluntarily.

Trump has said he likes the flexibility of having officials serve in an acting capacity, and his propensity to replace people has prompted those aides to work especially hard to stay in his good graces, flattering the president often in public.

That was on display Thursday when Trump held a Rose Garden event to announce an embarrassing retreat — he was giving up his fight to add a citizenship question on the U.S. census after being rebuffed by the Supreme Court.

Rather than admit defeat, Atty. Gen. William Barr praised Trump repeatedly. “Congratulations again, Mr. President,” he said.

The constant speculation about which of Trump’s aides will be next to fall — published reports Friday suggested Direction of National Intelligence Dan Coats may be on the edge — has distracted from the White House agenda.

“It means that people are focusing not on the mission of the organization, but they’re focusing on the water cooler chat about who’s going to be their boss and who’s going to be sticking around,” said Max Stier, chief executive of Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan nonprofit group focused on making government work better.

When top government advisors leave or face uncertain futures, their subordinates are also at risk of replacement, creating instability throughout the agency.

Trump’s picks have been surrounded by more controversy in part because he often selects them hastily, announcing appointments before they have been vetted.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and FBI are struggling to contain the fallout and appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Trump’s base after the administration’s decision this week to withhold records from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.

The move, which included the acknowledgment that one particular sought-after document never existed in the first place, sparked a contentious conversation between Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino at the White House earlier this week — threatening to shatter relations between the two law enforcement leaders. It centered in part on a news story by a conservative outlet that described divisions between the FBI and the Justice Department.

The cascade of disappointment and disbelief arising from the refusal to disclose additional, much-hyped records from the Epstein investigation lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they themselves had stoked with claims of a cover-up and hidden evidence. Infuriated by the failure of officials to unlock, as promised, the secrets of the so-called deep state, Trump supporters on the far right have grown restless and even demanded change at the top.

Tensions that simmered for months boiled over on Monday when the Justice Department and FBI issued a two-page statement saying that they had concluded that Epstein did not possess a “client list,” even though Bondi had intimated in February that such a document was sitting on her desk. The statement also said that they had decided against releasing any additional records from the investigation.

The department did disclose a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself in jail, but even that raised eyebrows of conspiracy theorists because of a missing minute in the recording.

It was hardly the first time that Trump administration officials have failed to fulfill their pledge to deliver the evidence they expected.

In February, conservative influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” that contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain.

After the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were poring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI.

But after a months-long review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined in the memo Monday that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” the memo says. The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”

The Trump administration had hoped that statement would be the final word on the saga, with Trump chiding a reporter who asked Bondi about the Epstein case at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

But Bondi and Bongino had a contentious exchange the following day at the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

Part of the clash centered on a story from NewsNation, a right-leaning news organization, that cited a “source close to the White House” as saying the FBI would have released the Epstein files months ago if it could have done so on its own. The story included statements from Bondi, Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel refuting the premise, but not Bongino.

The news publication Axios was first to describe the conversation.

Blanche sought to stem the fallout Friday with a social media post in which he said he had worked closely with Patel and Bongino on the Epstein matter and the joint memo.

“All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo. The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false,” he wrote on X.

Also on Friday, far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is close to Trump, posted on X that she was told that Bongino was “seriously thinking about resigning” and had taken the day off to contemplate his future. Bongino is normally an active presence on social media but has been silent since Wednesday.

The FBI did not respond to a request seeking comment and the White House sought in a statement to minimize any tensions.

“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law-and-order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable and delivering justice to victims,” said spokesman Harrison Fields. “This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”

Tucker writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.

July 11 (UPI) — Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files has FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino contemplating resigning from his position, according to several news reports.

Bongino and Bondi clashed over the matter earlier this week after she said there is no list of client names to be made publicly available, CNN reported on Friday.

The clash occurred at the White House on Wednesday after Bondi also said evidence confirms Epstein committed suicide and was not murdered while jailed in New York City in 2019.

Unnamed sources told Fox News, Axios and CNN that Bongino has said he might resign due to the conflict and has not been in his office since Wednesday.

Bondi, though, has said she won’t resign, and FBI Director Kash Patel, likewise, intends to stay with the federal law enforcement agency.

“President Donald Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law-and-order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable and delivering justice to victims,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News.

“Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all,” Fields said.

Epstein was a financier and a convicted sex offender who was found dead inside a New York Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell while awaiting trial on federal charges in August 2019.

He was pronounced dead of suicide after being taken to a nearby hospital.

Trump said he might release the information from files while campaigning in 2024, and Bondi suggested she would release information after becoming the nation’s attorney general.

The Justice Department on Monday announced there is no client list and no evidence that he was killed.

Reports of conflict between the Justice Department and the FBI are false, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday in a post on X.

A lot of people online have been very, very upset over the Trump Department of Justice’s twofold conclusion, announced last Sunday, that Jeffrey Epstein’s death in jail in 2019 was a suicide and that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had no “incriminating ‘client list’ ” among its Epstein files.

The tremendous uproar against the Justice Department and FBI has crossed partisan lines; if anything, it has been many conservative commentators and some Republican elected officials who have expressed the most outrage, with accusations and implications that the government is hiding something about the case to protect powerful individuals.

Given the sordid nature of the underlying subject matter and the fact the feds closely examined “over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography,” the obsession with the “Epstein files” gives off a vibe that is, frankly, somewhat creepy. To be sure, it is always righteous to seek justice for victims, but many don’t want public scrutiny.

The Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files has not been its finest hour. During a February interview on Fox News, Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said, in response to host John Roberts’ question about whether the Justice Department would release a “list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients,” that the list was “sitting on [her] desk right now to review.” It is an astonishing about-face for Bondi to now disavow that investigators have any such list. The Trump administration owes us all a clear explanation.

With that large caveat aside, though, the fact remains: This is just not the biggest deal in the world — and if you think it is, then you probably need to log off social media.

The midterm elections next fall are not going to be determined by the existence — or absence — of a “client list” for an extravagantly wealthy dead pedophile. Nor will they be decided on the absurd grounds of whether FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have somehow been “compromised.” (They haven’t.) Instead, the election — and our politics — will be contested on typical substantive grounds: the economy, inflation, immigration, crime, global stability and so forth. This is as it should be. There are simply better uses of your time than fuming over the government’s avowed nonexistence of the much-ballyhooed client list.

You might, for instance, consider spending more time, during these midsummer weeks, with your family. Maybe you can take the kids camping or fishing. Maybe you can take them to an amusement park or to one of America’s many national park treasures. You can spend less time scrolling Instagram and TikTok and more time reading a good old-fashioned book; you will learn more, you will be happier and you will be considerably less likely to traffic in fringe issues and bizarre rhetoric that alienates far more than it unifies.

Instead of finding meaning in the confirmation biases and groupthink validations of social media algorithms, perhaps you can locate meaning where countless human beings have found it since time immemorial: religion. Spend more time praying, reading scripture and attending services at your preferred house of worship. All of these uses of your time will fill you with a sense of stability, meaning and purpose that you will never find deep in the bowels of an X thread on the Epstein files.

Too many people today who are deeply engaged in America’s combustible political process have forgotten that there are more important things in life than politics. And even within the specific realm of politics, there are plenty of things that are more deserving of attention and emotional investment than others. Above all, it is conservatives — those oriented toward sobriety and humility, not utopianism and decadence — who ought to be able to properly contextualize America’s political tug-of-war within our broader lives and who ought to then be able to focus on the meaningful political issues to the exclusion of tawdry soap opera drama.

Like many others, I expect that the Justice Department’s recent — and seemingly definitive — waving away of the Epstein files saga will not actually prove to be the final word on the matter. To the limited extent that I allow myself to think about this sideshow, I hope that the administration does squarely address the many legitimate and unanswered questions now being asked by a frustrated citizenry that has seemingly been misled by the Trump administration, either in Bondi’s February statement or in this month’s report. But I also hope that the extent of this past week’s rage might serve as an edifying moment. Let’s return to the real things in life and focus on what matters most.

Josh Hammer’s latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.” This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer

The government’s admission about sex offender signals a retreat from a narrative once pushed by President Trump’s administration.

A United States government review has found no evidence that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a secret client list, and reaffirmed that he died by suicide in federal custody in 2019, undercutting years of conspiracy theories.

The acknowledgement that Epstein did not maintain a list of clients who received underage girls marks a clear retreat from a narrative once promoted by members of US President Donald Trump’s administration. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi even claimed in a Fox News interview that such a document was “sitting on my desk”, awaiting her review.

The memo, released on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, stated that a “systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list’.” It also found no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures, or grounds to pursue investigations against uncharged third parties.

“After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019,” the memo said. “This conclusion is consistent with previous findings, including the August 19, 2019 autopsy findings of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the November 2019 position of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in connection with the investigation of federal correctional officers responsible for guarding Epstein, and the June 2023 conclusions of DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General.”

It concluded by saying that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted”.

The Justice Department also released 10 hours of surveillance footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The footage revealed that no one entered Epstein’s cell on the day he died by suicide.

‘We were all told more was coming’

Conservatives who have sought proof of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities quickly expressed outrage at the announcement.

Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted: “We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be.”

Separately, former Trump ally, billionaire Elon Musk, shared an image of a scoreboard reading, “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter”, which was set at zero.

On June 5, Musk claimed that Trump appeared in the Epstein files and later posted a video on X showing Trump at a party with Epstein. These posts, now deleted, were part of an ongoing feud between Musk and Trump linked to Trump’s new tax cuts and spending bill.

What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again … pic.twitter.com/CO9xJz68Tf

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 7, 2025

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote, “Next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed’,” calling the conclusion “over the top sickening”.

‘Epstein’s crimes and death’

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Justice Department’s “exhaustive investigation”.

When questioned about the client list mentioned in February’s Fox News interview, Leavitt clarified that Bondi was actually referring to the broader collection of Epstein case files.

Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, in a suicide that foreclosed the possibility of a trial.

The Justice Department and FBI’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation, even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion.

In November 2019, for instance, then-Attorney General William Barr told the Associated Press news agency that he had reviewed security footage that revealed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died, and expressed confidence that Epstein’s death was a suicide.

However, Epstein’s ties to the rich and famous have led many to believe, without evidence, that others were behind his death, in an effort to cover up their own crimes.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, these organisations may be able to help.

WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a “client list,” the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite promises from Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.

The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represents a public walk-back of a theory that the Trump administration had helped promote, with Bondi suggesting in a Fox News interview earlier this year that such a document was “sitting on my desk” in preparation for release.

Even as it released video from inside a New York jail meant to definitively prove that Epstein died by suicide, the department also said in a memo that it was refusing to release other evidence investigators had collected. Bondi for weeks had suggested that more material was going to be revealed — “It’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public,” she said at one point — after a first document dump she had hyped angered President Trump’s base by failing to deliver revelations.

That episode, in which conservative internet personalities were invited to the White House in February and provided with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” that contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain, has spurred far-right influencers to lambast and deride Bondi.

After the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were pouring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI. In a March TV interview, she claimed the Biden administration “sat on these documents, no one did anything with them,” adding: “Sadly these people don’t believe in transparency, but I think more unfortunately, I think a lot of them don’t believe in honesty.”

But after a months-long review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” the memo says. The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”

The two-page memo bore the logos of the Justice Department and the FBI but was not signed by any individual official.

“One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” the memo says. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”

Conservatives who have sought proof of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities and death expressed outrage Monday over the department’s position. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted: “We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be.”

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote that “next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,’ calling it “over the top sickening.” Elon Musk shared a series of photos of a clown applying makeup appearing to mock Bondi for saying the client list doesn’t exist after suggesting months ago that it was on her desk.

Among the evidence that the Justice Department says it has in its possession are photographs and more than 10,000 videos and images that officials said depicted child sex abuse material or “other pornography.” Bondi had earlier suggested that part of the reason for the delay in releasing additional Epstein materials was because the FBI needed to review “tens of thousands” of recordings that she said showed Epstein “with children or child porn.”

The Associated Press published an article last week about the unanswered questions surrounding those videos.

Multiple people who participated in the criminal cases of Epstein and former British socialite girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told AP that they had not seen and did not know of a trove of recordings along the lines of what Bondi had referenced. Indictments and detention memos also don’t allege the existence of video recordings and neither Epstein nor Maxwell were charged with possession of child sex abuse material even though that would have been easier for prosecutors to prove than the sex trafficking counts they faced.

The AP did find reference in a filing in a civil lawsuit to the discovery by the Epstein estate of videos and pictures that could constitute child sex abuse material, but lawyers involved in that case said a protective order prevents them from discovering the specifics of that evidence.

The Justice Department did not respond to a detailed list of questions from AP about the videos Bondi was referencing.

Monday’s memo does not explain when or where they were located, what they depict and whether they were newly found as investigators scoured their collection of evidence or were known for some time to have been in the government’s possession.

Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, in a suicide that foreclosed the possibility of a trial.

The department’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion.

In 2019, for instance, then-Atty. Gen. William Barr told the AP in an interview that he had personally reviewed security video that revealed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died and Barr had concluded that Epstein’s suicide was the result of “a perfect storm of screw-ups.”

More recently, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have insisted in television and podcast interviews that the evidence was clear that Epstein had killed himself.

Tucker and Richer write for the Associated Press.