- Bondi offered a vague, evasive defense of the DOJ’s shifting stance as Trump directed new probes and backed a bipartisan bill releasing Epstein documents.
- Concerns about conflicts and redactions persist: selections like Jay Clayton’s appointment and executive secrecy may blunt true transparency.
WASHINGTON—Attorney General Pam Bondi found herself on the defensive Wednesday, offering a vague and halting defense of President Donald Trump’s abrupt about-face on the long-simmering Jeffrey Epstein files—a saga that’s twisted through promises, photo-ops, and partisan finger-pointing since Trump returned to the White House.
It was a scene straight out of a political thriller: Bondi, flanked by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, stepped up to the podium at the Justice Department for what was billed as a routine press conference on a $15 million reward for tips on an international drug lord.
But reporters, sensing blood in the water, zeroed in on the elephant in the room—or rather, the ghost of Epstein’s sprawling web of influence that has haunted Trump’s second term.
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Details of What’s Happening with the Epstein Files
Just hours earlier, Trump had thrown his weight behind a bipartisan transparency bill barreling through Congress, one that would force the release of troves of Epstein-related documents within 30 days.
This from a president who, for months, had dismissed the whole affair as a “Democratic hoax” cooked up to overshadow his agenda.
The bill mandates Bondi’s Justice Department to cough up “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” from the DOJ, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices tied to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
It even extends to files on “individuals and entities with known or alleged ties to the trafficking or financial networks” of the disgraced financier.
But there’s a catch, buried in the fine print: Bondi retains the power to redact or withhold anything that might “jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution” or fall under executive secrecy orders.
And wouldn’t you know it, Trump—ever the strategist—had already lit a fuse that morning by directing Bondi to launch probes into high-profile Democrats with past Epstein links, like former President Bill Clinton, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and ex-Harvard President Larry Summers.
All three have flatly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, but in Trump’s world, association is often accusation enough.
Trump’s 180 on the Release of Epstein Files
The reversal wasn’t born in a vacuum. Back in July, Bondi’s DOJ dropped a memo that read like a full stop on the Epstein saga:
“No further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” it declared, after a review turned up “no basis to revisit the disclosure” of Epstein’s materials and “no incriminating ‘client list.'”
The document went further, stating there was “no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals” and “we did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
That line drew howls from Trump’s MAGA faithful, who had been promised the moon on Epstein transparency during the campaign.
The backlash intensified after a February White House stunt where Bondi teased that the files were “sitting on my desk,” only to hand out binders to 15 conservative influencers—photo-op props stuffed with already-public info labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.”
Social media erupted, with influencers and rank-and-file Republicans branding Bondi a sellout and flooding Trump’s orbit with demands for action.
Now, with a “deluge” of GOP lawmakers ready to buck the White House and back the bill anyway, Trump blinked.
He’d sign it, he announced, flipping the script to paint Democrats as the real culprits.
Attorney General Bondi’s Response
Bondi, caught in the crossfire, faced the music at the briefing.
Pressed on what had changed since that July memo, she faltered. “Information that has come for, um, information. There’s new information, additional information,” Bondi said, trailing off without elaborating on what, exactly, this mysterious intel entailed.
When grilled further on how her department would navigate the releases—especially with Trump’s fresh probes potentially muddying the waters—she looped back to a single, unyielding refrain:
“We will follow the law.”
It was a masterclass in evasion, the kind that leaves journalists scribbling notes and viewers reaching for the remote. Bondi doubled down by appealing directly to victims:
Come forward with any leads, she urged, promising the DOJ would “continue to follow the law to investigate any leads.”
But specifics? Crickets.
To lead the Democrat-focused investigation, Bondi tapped Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York—a pick with its own Epstein-tinged baggage.
Shady Conflicts of Interest
Clayton’s path to power reads like a sequel to the original scandal.
During Trump’s first term, then-Attorney General Bill Barr tried to install him in the Southern District to sideline prosecutor Geoffrey Berman, who was hot on the trail of Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon.
That bid flopped, but Clayton landed on his feet: a board seat at Apollo Global, courtesy of Leon Black, another Epstein crony who shelled out about $170 million to the sex offender for “tax and estate planning” advice.
Black has insisted he knew nothing of Epstein’s trafficking empire, but a 2023 settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general painted a grimmer picture: He admitted some of that cash helped “fund [Epstein’s] operations.”
Clayton stepped into the SDNY role this April, just as the Epstein drumbeat grew louder.
Trump’s own history with Epstein looms large here, too—a friendship that soured but left photos and quotes in its wake. “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years,” Trump once said. “Terrific guy.”
He banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after rumors surfaced, but the optics remain a vulnerability for a president who rode into office vowing to drain the swamp.
As the bill hurtles toward Trump’s desk, questions swirl: Will the files finally expose the full scope of Epstein’s network, or will redactions and rival probes turn transparency into theater?
Bondi’s Wednesday word salad only amplified the uncertainty, leaving even her staunchest allies wondering if the knots she’s tying are her own—or the ones Trump handed her.
For now, the MAGA base cheers the pivot, but trust is a fragile thing in Washington. One thing’s clear: Jeffrey Epstein’s shadow isn’t fading anytime soon.
Also Read: A DOJ Whistleblower Now Makes Revelation That Undermines the Judicial System’s Integrity
