President Donald Trump said Tuesday he did not understand continued interest from his supporters in the so-called Epstein files, telling reporters “credible information” about Jeffrey Epstein had already been released and “only pretty bad people” were keeping the backlash going, after his base criticized the Justice Department’s decision not to release more information about the disgraced financier.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on July 15.
Getty Images
Timeline
- Feb. 27 At a press event featuring MAGA influencers and podcasters, Bondi handed out binders full of what her office called “declassified” Epstein records but also admitted most of them had been “previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity”—and backlash quickly began growing as observers realized the files contained no new names or revelations.
- Feb. 28 Shortly after the “Epstein Files: Phase 1” event, Bondi said the FBI failed to disclose “thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein,” and asked FBI Director Kash Patel to deliver the remaining “records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained.”
- March 14 Pam Bondi gave an interview to Fox News, answering a question about a so-called Epstein client list by saying it was “sitting on my desk right now”—Bondi and the White House have since claimed the attorney general was referring to the entire tranche of documents related to the Epstein prosecution.
- June 5 The feud between Trump and former ally Elon Musk heats up, as the billionaire Tesla chief and former leader of the Department of Government Efficiency accused the president of being implicated in the “Epstein Files.”
- July 7 The Justice Department quietly releases a memo determining Epstein committed suicide in his jail cell in August 2019, as well as dashing any hopes that a “client list” exists in the thousands of pages of documents.
- The memo also contains a link to about 11 hours of footage of Epstein in his cell released as proof of his suicide—which quickly faced more scrutiny after viewers realized about a minute of footage was missing.
- The memo sparked widespread backlash among Trump’s base, as top conservative commentators called for Bondi to resign or be fired, and right-wing commentator Laura Loomer claimed Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino are “LIVID” with Bondi over the memo and her “lack of transparency” regarding the “Epstein Files.”
- July 8 Trump begins lashing out as reporters continue to press Bondi on the release, calling one reporter’s question about the disgraced financier a “desecration” while other tragedies, such as the deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country, were ongoing.
- July 11 Multiple outlets reported Bongino, a former podcaster and MAGA influencer before his appointment to deputy FBI director, might resign over how the Epstein release was handled, with CNN reporting he clashed with Bondi.
- July 12 Patel wrote on X the “conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been” and vowed his commitment to remaining in the Trump administration, writing, “It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.”
- July 12 Trump doubles down on the criticism of MAGA influencers and reporters questioning the lack of answers from the administration’s Epstein probe, praising Bondi for doing a “FANTASTIC JOB” and pushing the Justice Department to investigate controversies he has harped on for years: the Hunter Biden laptop, Democratic campaign fundraising site ActBlue, and questioning the results of the 2020 presidential election.
- July 13 Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said he spoke with Bongino the same day, calling him a “good guy” and defending him amidst the reports he might resign over the weekend: “I’ve known him a long time, I’ve done his show many, many times,” Trump said, before insisting “no, I think he’s in good shape.”
- July 15 Trump replied “no” to a reporter’s question about whether Bondi mentioned to him whether his name appeared in the files, later praising Bondi for handling the situation “very well” and claiming the records were “made up” by his political opponents, including ex-FBI Director James Comey, former President Barack Obama and the Biden administration.
- July 15 In an interview with a conservative podcast host, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed support for “transparency” in the situation moving forward, saying “we should put everything out there and let the people decide.”
- Johnson also defended Bondi’s past statements about the documents being on her desk, but insisted she needed to “come forward and explain that to everybody,” before praising her again: “I like Pam, I think she’s done a good job, we need the DOJ focusing on the major priorities, so let’s get this thing resolved.”
- July 15 Wired magazine reported as much as two minutes and 53 seconds was missing from the source file of footage the DOJ released showing the outside of Epstein’s cell the night of his suicide—Wired had earlier reported the video was edited with Adobe Premiere.
- July 15 On his way back from an AI summit in Pittsburgh, Trump again said he was not sure why his supporters were so concerned about the Epstein files’ release: “I don’t know why they would be so interested,” Trump said, noting that Epstein had been “dead for a long time,” the financier “was never a big factor in terms of life,” and that the case was “pretty boring stuff.”
- Trump also claimed “the credible information has been given” and that “I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
What Is Happening Between Patel And Bondi?
Patel’s post Saturday came amid multiple reports that Patel and Bongino had butted heads with Bondi over the DOJ’s memo Monday saying the agency will not release further documents on Epstein, which also said an Epstein “client list” does not exist and asserted the financier died by suicide in 2019. CNN reports Patel was involved in a meeting this week with Bongino and Bondi over the “major clash” between the FBI and DOJ over how to handle the Epstein documents.
It’s unclear whether Patel’s reference to “conspiracy theories” in his post Saturday referred to the allegations of infighting between the DOJ and FBI, or to the conspiracy theories regarding Epstein, which Patel repeatedly pushed himself before joining the FBI. Patel’s comments follow Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claiming Friday Patel and Bongino had personally signed off on the Epstein memo, writing, “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.”
What To Watch For
It’s still unclear whether Bongino will resign from the FBI as he’s reportedly considering, with sources telling CNN on Friday the deputy director had ultimately not made up his mind. It also remains to be seen what will happen with Bondi, as Trump’s base revolts against the attorney general.
Trump—who knew Epstein but has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to him—has not expressed any desire to fire Bondi in recent days and has downplayed the “Epstein Files,” saying it was “unbelievable” that reporters asked about the issue during his Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “I mean, 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,” Trump told reporters. “It just seems like a desecration.”
Tangent
Bondi appeared to try and curry favor with figures on the far-right Saturday, announcing the DOJ was dropping charges against a plastic surgeon accused of fraud in connection to COVID-19 vaccines.
The attorney general singled out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for pushing for the doctor’s freedom, with Bondi saying the dismissal “would not have been possible” without Greene and praising her as “a warrior for Dr. Moore and for ending the weaponization of government.”
Greene has publicly criticized the DOJ’s Epstein memo in recent days and continued to call for documents to be released, sharing allegations that the documents were being “suppressed” on Thursday and writing, “RELEASE THE EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST!!!!” The attorney general also fired several of the president’s perceived enemies this week, including at least nine prosecutors and other employees who were involved with federal criminal cases against Trump.
What Has Kash Patel Said About Epstein?
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Patel repeatedly pushed for the Epstein files to be publicly released and criticized the government for withholding documents, claiming in a December 2023 podcast appearance that the Biden administration was withholding documents “because of who’s on that list.” “You don’t think that Bill Gates is lobbying Congress night and day to prevent the disclosure of that list?” Patel said, adding, “Put on your big boy pants, and let us know who the pedophiles are.”
The FBI director took a different tone in May, however, when Patel and Bongino—who also previously pushed conspiracy theories related to Epstein—rebutted the theory that Epstein was murdered in prison, saying in an interview they confirmed the financier died by suicide.
“Listen, they have a right to their opinion,” Patel told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo about those who believe the conspiracy theory, “but as someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor who’s been in that prison system, who’s been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, who’s been in segregated housing, um, you know a suicide when you see one, and that’s what that was.”
The FBI director still suggested he wanted the government to release its files on the Epstein case, however, telling Fox News in May, “We are diligently working on that” but “it takes time to go through years of investigations.”
Key Background
Epstein allegedly abused more than 100 women between 2002 and 2018, assembling an alleged network of underage women who were allegedly abused by him and associates. He was indicted in federal court in 2019 for sex trafficking and died in prison later that year. The financier’s crimes have continued to garner widespread attention, particularly due to his links to numerous well-known figures like Trump, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, and many following the case have hoped for documents like a “client list” that would detail Epstein’s connections—even as there’s no indication such a list exists. (Like Trump, Clinton has not been accused of any wrongdoing.) The Trump administration initially promised to be transparent about the Epstein files in the government’s possession, but has faced criticism over the rollout, with Bondi releasing information in February that was already largely public. The attorney general previously claimed more documents would be released, but did not give any timeline for doing so, and publicly blamed the FBI for allegedly withholding thousands of documents from her office. FBI officials reportedly were also directed to prioritize processing Epstein documents in March.
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