Fallout over Epstein files cascades, roiling relations between AG Pam Bondi and FBI’s Dan Bongino

WASHINGTON AP The Justice Department and FBI are struggling to contain the fallout and appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Donald Trump s base after the administration s decision this week to withhold records from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking study The move which included the acknowledgment that one particular sought-after document never existed in the first place sparked a contentious conversation between Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino at the White House earlier this week threatening to shatter relations between the two law enforcement leaders It centered in part on a news story by a conservative outlet that described divisions between the FBI and the Justice Department The cascade of disappointment and disbelief arising from the refusal to disclose additional much-hyped records from the Epstein study lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they themselves had stoked with maintains of a cover-up and hidden evidence Infuriated by the failure of executives to unlock as promised the secrets of the so-called deep state Trump supporters on the far right have grown restless and even demanded change at the top Tensions that simmered for months boiled over on Monday when the Justice Department and FBI issued a two-page declaration saying that they had concluded that Epstein did not possess a client list even though Bondi had intimated in February that such a document was sitting on her desk The report also announced that they had decided against releasing any additional records from the study The department did disclose a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself in jail but even that raised eyebrows of conspiracy theorists because of a missing minute in the recording It was hardly the first time that Trump administration officers have failed to fulfill their pledge to deliver the evidence they expected In February conservative influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked The Epstein Files Phase and Declassified that contained documents that had largely already been in the residents domain After the first release fell flat Bondi explained executives were poring over a truckload of previously withheld evidence she noted had been handed over by the FBI But after a months-long review of evidence in the authorities s possession the Justice Department determined in the memo Monday that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted the memo says The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect casualties and only a fraction of it would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial The Trump administration had hoped that that comment would be the final word on the saga with Trump chiding a reporter who requested Bondi about the Epstein circumstance at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday But Bondi and Bongino had a contentious exchange the following day at the White House according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation Part of the clash centered on a story from NewsNation a right-leaning news organization that cited a source close to the White House as saying the FBI would have circulated the Epstein files months ago if it could have done so on its own The story included statements from Bondi Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel refuting the premise but not Bongino The news publication Axios was first to describe the conversation Blanche sought to stem the fallout Friday with a social media post in which he announced he had worked closely with Patel and Bongino on the Epstein matter and the joint memo 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 he wrote on X Also Friday far-right activist Laura Loomer who is close to Trump posted on X that she was advised that Bongino was seriously thinking about resigning and had taken the day off to contemplate his future Bongino is normally an operational presence on social media but has been silent since Wednesday The FBI did not respond to a request seeking comment and the White House sought in a declaration to minimize any tensions President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order squad dedicated to protecting Americans holding criminals accountable and delivering justice to casualties stated spokesman Harrison Fields This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity Any attempt to sow division within this unit is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring residents safety and pursuing justice for all