Epstein fallout looms large amid reports top FBI official may resign
The developments come after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo July 7 stating that a "systematic review" of evidence failed to reveal any incriminating client list associated with Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges.
"Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither" to combat child exploitation nor bring justice to victims, the memo said. "No further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."
Many loyalists of President Donald Trump have been incensed by the memo, which followed years of suggestions by Trump associates that the government was hiding a list of Epstein clients who may have been involved in sex trafficking and that Epstein may have been murdered to prevent those names from becoming public.
New York's chief medical examiner ruled in 2019 that Epstein died by suicide, and the Justice Department's memo backs up that finding.
More: Trump's team promised transparency on Epstein. Here's what they delivered.
The memo threw a range of conservative commentators into an uproar.
"I'm going to go throw up, actually," right-wing radio show host Alex Jones said in a July 7 video post on X, as his eyes teared up. "I just really need the Trump administration to succeed ... and then for them to do something like this - tears my guts out."
Bongino in 2023: 'Washington swamp' not telling truth on Epstein
Bongino himself sounded alarm bells well before he took on a top role in Trump's FBI.
"There are a lot of people who are knee-deep in the Washington swamp who are not telling you the truth about serious allegations out there that Epstein may have had video and audio of people out there doing things they shouldn't have been doing," Bongino said on his "The Dan Bongino Show" on May 1, 2023.
"Jeffrey Epstein isn't with us anymore, and nobody seems to want to talk about it outside of a few entrepreneurial media outlets saying, 'Hey, this is a big deal,'" Bongino added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi recently fanned the flames of those espousing a government cover-up about the Epstein evidence. Bondi characterized the Biden administration's effort on the case as lackluster, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity on March 3 that she had instructed the FBI to review a "truckload" of Epstein files that were delivered as a result of an order she issued in February.
"It's infuriating that these people (the Biden administration) thought that they could sit on this information, but they can't. It's a new day, and we believe in transparency, and it's going to come out," Bondi said.
However, Bondi largely seemed to close the door on future revelations at a July 8 cabinet meeting following the memo's release. She said various videos within the review turned out to be child sexual abuse materials, but said her department was looking for some further videos it hoped to release in connection with Epstein's jail facility.
"And that's it on Epstein," Bondi said.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the second-highest official at the Justice Department after Bondi, said in a July 11 post on X that he'd worked closely with Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel on the polarizing memo and they'd mutually signed off on its contents and conclusions.
"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," Blanche said.
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Reuters
41 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump defends Bondi amid backlash over Epstein files
July 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday amid backlash against her from some of Trump's supporters over how the Justice Department handled the investigation into the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele. Trump said "nobody cares about" Epstein, and that more time or energy must not be wasted on his case, as he tried to unite his base of supporters in a nearly 400-word post on Truth Social. "What's going on with my "boys" and, in some cases, "gals?" They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening," Trump said. In a joint memo released on Monday, the FBI and Justice Department said there was no evidence to support a number of long-held conspiracy theories about Epstein's death in federal custody in 2019 and his alleged clientele. Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticized Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs." U.S. media, including Fox News and NBC News, have reported that FBI deputy director Dan Bongino has clashed with Bondi over the issue and is considering stepping down. Patel and Bongino, a former conservative podcaster, both previously made statements before working at the FBI about a so-called client list and often suggested that the government was hiding information about Epstein from the American public. Monday's memo on Epstein concluded that after reviewing more than 300 gigabytes of data, there was "no incriminating client list" nor was there any evidence that Epstein may have blackmailed prominent people. The memo also confirmed prior findings by the FBI which concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial, and not as a result of a criminal act such as murder. Epstein's death while imprisoned in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center has ignited controversy for years. Expectations for key revelations in his case grew when, in February, Fox News asked Bondi whether the Justice Department would be releasing Epstein's client list, and she said, "It's sitting on my desk right now to review." On Tuesday at the White House, Bondi walked that comment back, telling reporters that she was referring to the entire Epstein "file" along with other files pertaining to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. "That's what I meant by that," she said.
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Trump posts support for embattled Attorney General Pam Bondi
President Donald Trump has come out in support of embattled Attorney General Pam Bondi following a dispute between her and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Justice Department decided not to release any additional Epstein files and has affirmed that there is no list containing Epstein's clients. Bongino, frustrated with the DOJ's decision, had a heated confrontation with Bondi and has considered resigning from his post amid the disagreement, according to a person who has spoken with Bongino and a source familiar with the interactions that Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have had with Bondi. Epstein died in 2019 while in custody, and a medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. He was facing sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The handling of the Epstein files has become a flashpoint of disagreement among MAGA conservatives. Trump sought to unify his party Saturday, as he came out in support of Bondi, taking to social media to say she is doing a 'fantastic job' and that his administration should all be 'one Team.' 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,' Trump wrote. The president went on to name check FBI Director Kash Patel, saying his agency should be focused on a list of other priorities, 'instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein.' The list included calling for an investigation into the 2020 election, which Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed was rigged. 'LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE'S GREAT!' Trump wrote, adding that people should 'not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Kash Patel denies rumors he's quitting the FBI over DoJ ruling on Epstein files
FBI director Kash Patel has denied swirling resignation rumors over reported unhappiness at a justice department decision to close the book on Jeffrey Epstein after administration officials teased a big reveal earlier in the year. In a Saturday social media post, the agency director said: 'the conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been. It's an honor to serve the President of the United States – and I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.' Over the past week, Maga hardliners, including Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, former White House adviser Steve Bannon and – reportedly – FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, have been strongly critical of a joint decision by US attorney general Pam Bondi and the FBI to not release further information about Epstein held in government files, including a so-called client list. Critics have slammed the FBI-justice department conclusion about Epstein's official autopsy that the disgraced financier had hung himself in his cell. Many have refused to accept that, repeating a conspiracy theory that Epstein, who died in August 2019 while awaiting trial, was in fact murdered to silence him. 'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list',' the memo stated. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' Rumors of a rift between the FBI and the justice department over the memo have been denied by deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, who wrote on social media that there is 'no daylight' between the FBI and the Department of Justice leadership on the issue. 'I worked closely with [Kash and Bongino] on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files. 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,' Blanche said. But on Friday, NBC News reported that Bongino is considering stepping down from his post at the FBI after a 'heated confrontation' with Bondi over the issue. 'Bongino is out-of-control furious,' the person who has spoken with the deputy FBI director said. 'This destroyed his career. He's threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she's fired.' Donald Trump has also grown testy with repeated questions about Epstein, who was once a neighbor in Palm Beach. He erupted on Tuesday when he was pressed on an apparent one-minute gap in a 10-hour video recorded outside of Epstein's cell. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?' he said. 'This guy's been talked about for years … Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.' Bondi has since explained that the missing minute of surveillance film was simply the recording equipment resetting itself, as it does every night. Still, it is not clear that Maga hardliners are willing to let the Epstein conspiracy theories go – they have provided a constant stream of material that supposedly supports their theories of a deep state. But no evidence has emerged that Epstein was engaged in a conspiracy to blackmail high-profile visitors, including Britain's Prince Andrew, to his homes in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. The FBI-DoJ memo stated that it had uncovered 'a significant amount of material', including more than 300GB of data and physical evidence that included 'a large volume of images of Epstein, images and videos of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors, and over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography'. 'Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,' the memo said.
