Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing growing scrutiny after the Trump administration and the Department of Justice said there was no “client list” of people associated with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The announcement last week came after months of promises from Bondi and President Donald Trump that transparency would be coming about public figures related to Epstein and his controversial cause of death.
When the DOJ and FBI affirmed earlier conclusions that Epstein died by suicide and didn’t release a list of his associates, it split the president’s supporters and sparked outcry among those who wanted the information shared with the public.
Fallout from supporters and colleagues
The attorney general was pressed by reporters on Tuesday about the fallout of the administration’s decision to not release more information about Epstein.
She suggested that she has no plans to step down and dodged questions about what’s going on internally at the DOJ, noting that the press conference being held was about the Drug Enforcement Agency’s work, not Epstein.
“I’m not going to talk about Epstein,” Bondi said.
Bondi’s refusal to address the mounting criticism may not work in her favor. Some powerful influencers on the right have been calling on the DOJ to be more transparent about Epstein’s case, especially since the administration has promised to release more information.
Laura Loomer, an activist who once worked for Alex Jones’ InfoWars and is a fierce advocate for Trump, has called on Bondi to resign and said there should be a special counsel examination of the Epstein files. Loomer and others say Bondi is not being transparent and has not done a good job with the issue.
Since the DOJ’s release last week, Bondi has been criticized because the memo contradicted some of her previous statements. Earlier this year, Bondi said in an interview that the client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” However, in the recent memo, the administration said its review of the case files did not turn up a list of associates.
It was later revealed that Bondi clashed with officials at the DOJ and FBI, including Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino. Bongino’s future at the FBI is unknown after it was reported he had a fallout with Bondi and was considering quitting over the Epstein case.
The entire feud sparked infighting at the White House, with Trump reportedly angry, Vice President JD Vance looking to be a mediator and nearly everyone hoping the Republican frustration over the case would die down sooner rather than later.
White House defends Bondi
In the wake of the DOJ’s memo about Epstein, the White House has defended Bondi amid growing scrutiny and questions.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Bondi’s past statement about having information on her desk to review was referencing the “entirety of all of the paperwork” related to Epstein, not a client list.
Calls circled for Bondi to step down from leading the DOJ over the matter, but she said at the press conference that she would continue to serve for “as long as the president wants me here.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Trump told reporters at the White House that Bondi has handled the situation and growing criticism “very well.” He said she has done a “very good job.”
On Wednesday, Trump took to social media, issuing a lengthy post to call out Democrats and his supporters who are raising concerns over what he is dubbing as the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
“My PAST supporters have bought into this (expletive) hook, line, and sinker,” he wrote, later adding, “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!”
While Bondi’s future at the DOJ remains on rocky ground, it’s clear that Trump, visibly frustrated over the continued comments about Epstein, would like for the rhetoric to die down and doesn’t care if he loses support from his base over the little information released about the case.