Bondi faces skepticism on Epstein from chorus of GOP critics

Yahoo

5 days ago

Attorney General Pam Bondi is coming under criticism from congressional Republicans growing increasingly frustrated with her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files scandal, which has badly divided the party and is now throwing work in the House off the rails.
GOP lawmakers joined MAGA World figures in blaming Bondi for earlier this year overhyping the release of the Epstein files, which raised expectations about what information the government had on the disgraced financier and pedophile.
The Department of Justice and FBI eventually released a memo that found the official cause of Epstein's death was suicide and there was no 'client list,' which Bondi at one point had said was on her desk.
The lack of more solid findings backing up theories about Epstein's death and the client list have only made the furor in MAGA World grow hotter, despite efforts by President Trump to cool it.
'She's probably a great attorney general, but she clearly has dropped the ball on that by saying 'the list is sitting on my desk' and then 'there isn't a list,'' Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), a supporter of more Epstein disclosures, sits on a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee task force charged with the disclosure of federal secrets.
He expressed frustration over Bondi's move to convene influencers at the White House in May to claim there was more to the Epstein files.
'I wish she would communicate with the task force that I'm on, the disclosure task force,' Burlison said. 'We're members of Congress. Instead of bringing us in the loop, she brings in social media influencers. That, to me, is something I wish she would do differently.'
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has sought to quell the outrage even as he has called for transparency, and Trump has insisted that Bondi's standing is solid.
But there has been a clear split in MAGA World and in the GOP ranks between those loyal to Bondi and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who on Friday was rumored to be considering leaving his post over the Epstein ordeal. Bongino is back at work now, but tensions appear to remain.
When pressed if he has faith in Bondi and Bongino, Burchett said, 'I have faith in Dan Bongino.'
Trump ally Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has stressed the need for a special counsel to investigate the handling of the files. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, another staunch Trump ally, was early to call for a special counsel probe and has bashed Bondi, arguing she hasn't been transparent.
'The president and this team are always in contact with the president's supporters, with voices of many kinds from both sides of the aisle,' press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday when asked if the White House has been directly in touch with MAGA influencers who aren't satisfied with the Epstein case.
Leavitt also called Bondi, as well as Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel, 'great patriots.'
'They spent many months going through all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein,' she said. 'The president has been transparent. He has followed through with his promises to the American people.'
Two sources told The Hill on Thursday that Johnson is discussing a measure in support of disclosing more information related to the Epstein investigation.
The measure could take the pressure off of Bondi and minimize the outrage — and it comes as House Democrats push an amendment that calls for the full release of the materials related to the case.
However, a key difference in the measure Johnson is discussing is that the names of victims and whistleblowers should be shielded.
Some argue Bondi has solid support from Trump and that others calling for a probe could face a falling out with the White House team.
'Bondi is fine. Loomer [is] looking at a big loss,' one source close to the White House said.
Some outside observers concurred, predicting that as with other Trump controversies, people will eventually drop it and back Trump's message.
'There are certainly several factions of the president's base that are divided on this issue but eventually they are going to fall into line,' said Ford O'Connell, a GOP strategist.
'[Bondi] is the first attorney general Trump has had that can drive a message,' O'Connell continued. 'That is very, very important in that role because a lot of people think they know the law and they have no idea what the law is.'
Firebrand support
Bondi seemed to have fostered a relationship with one of the highest-profile members calling for the release of more Epstein materials: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
When Bondi last week announced she would drop charges against Michael Kirk Moore, a Utah doctor who was accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines and distributing fraudulent vaccination cards, Bondi credited Greene for bringing the case to her attention.
Some firebrand members of Congress who have built social media followings but also rely on maintaining a good relationship with Trump are following the president's lead on the matter.
'I think the Justice Department is doing a fantastic job, and they've got a lot on their plate,' Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said. 'And quite frankly, she's having to clean up a Justice Department that the Biden administration broke. In regards to the Epstein files, I mean, I trust her judgment. I trust the president's judgment.'
Trump was asked Wednesday if he would consider appointing a special counsel. He distanced himself from the situation, telling reporters, 'I have nothing to do with it,' after earlier in the day saying the Epstein situation is a hoax started by Democrats. Leavitt said Thursday he would not recommend a special prosecutor in the case.
Bondi toured the former Alcatraz prison Thursday in San Francisco with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, while the White House fielded questions over her handling of the Epstein files.
Inside the White House, aides 'are stunned and there's genuine confusion around how this was handled,' a source familiar with the thinking of the team told The Hill.
Aides aren't necessarily in Bondi or Bongino's camp but are seeking an explanation for Trump now calling for supporters to move on from the Epstein files. Without that, 'it's going to stick around and chip away at trust,' the source said.
MAGA baggage
Additional issues are likely hurting Bondi, a former Florida attorney general named as Trump's pick to lead the DOJ just hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) withdrew himself from consideration for the role.
Gaetz's nomination was hailed by MAGA supporters despite the controversies that have dogged him.
Bondi, a senior adviser on Trump's first impeachment defense team, also worked at lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which was founded by Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist who was involved with Trump's 2016 campaign.
Florida sources say the dynamic with Bondi in the MAGA movement has always been complicated.
'Ultimately Attorney General Bondi has a constituency of one,' said Republican donor Dan Eberhart, referring to the president. 'Beware the fate of Jeff Sessions.'
Eberhart added that the GOP grassroots in Florida seem torn over Bondi.
One Republican strategist acknowledged that Bondi 'over-promised and underdelivered' in her overall handling of the case.
'You bet she did,' the strategist said. 'This has been an administration that has been on offense on just about every possible thing that could come at them and this is the one thing that they did not unite on it.'
'Should you expect transparency? Yes, but there are certain aspects of the law that are not going to turn this into a tell all,' the strategist continued, referring to potential efforts to protect Epstein's victims.
The strategist noted that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a Trump ally who represented the president in his 2024 criminal hush money trial in New York City, would back Bondi.
'Todd Blanche is going to bat for her,' the strategist said.
Mychael Schnell contributed
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