Throughout a swearing-in ceremony for Paul Atkins as the brand new chairman of the Securities and Alternate Fee, President Donald Trump was requested point-blank concerning the long-awaited launch of paperwork tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
A reporter requested, “When can we count on the Epstein paperwork to be launched?”
Trump replied, “Which paperwork?”
“The Epstein recordsdata,” the reporter clarified.
President Trump responded calmly however pointedly: “I don’t know. I’ll converse to the legal professional basic about that. I actually don’t know.”
Whereas Trump didn’t give a definitive timeline, he reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to radical transparency, pointing to the total launch of paperwork associated to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.—releases that, in contrast to previous administrations, he claims had been unredacted and unfiltered.
Trump: “I do know that we’ve performed the RFK, the Kennedy. Martin Luther King is on the market very shortly, so we’ll discover out. We’ve actually introduced we’re doing them in full transparency. Once we did JFK, individuals had been saying, “Oh, possibly it wasn’t all”—it was all. Individuals really went as much as the workplace, and so they checked out some issues that had been not likely simply out there, and so they had been amazed that we gave all of it. I don’t know if it solved any issues for individuals; individuals nonetheless have questions in some way. However 100% of all of those paperwork are being delivered.”
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Regardless of Trump’s reassurances, a rising variety of conservatives are expressing severe doubts that the Epstein consumer listing will ever see the sunshine of day—particularly underneath the management of Legal professional Common Pam Bondi.
Bondi is now dealing with backlash from the Republican base for what they view as inaction and distraction. This sentiment is quickly gaining traction amongst MAGA supporters who really feel Bondi’s public appearances have began to outpace her precise outcomes.
In accordance with Rolling Stone, “Media Issues for America, a nonprofit that tracks right-wing media, discovered that Bondi has appeared on weekday Fox Information packages 11 instances from when she took over as legal professional basic on February 5 via final week — and she or he’s made not less than three extra appearances since then. The quantity doesn’t embrace weekend appearances or hits on different networks (together with Fox Enterprise), and so it solely represents a portion of the time she’s spent in entrance of a digicam…”
On February 21, Bondi announces on Fox News that she is actively reviewing Epstein-related paperwork, stating, “It’s sitting on my desk proper now to evaluation.” She confirms that is underneath President Trump’s directive, alongside critiques of JFK and MLK recordsdata.
When requested about main scandals, she responds cautiously, “Not but.” This marks the preliminary public promise of transparency relating to the Epstein recordsdata.
In a separate interview with conservative host Benny Johnson, Bondi reiterates that Trump’s directive might be adopted, hinting at “quite a lot of paperwork” however avoiding specifics.
On Feb. 27, the Justice Division releases “The Epstein Files: Phase One,” roughly 200 pages of paperwork, together with flight logs, a redacted contact e-book, and a sufferer listing.
The discharge is closely criticized as a “colossal disappointment” as a result of intensive redactions and lack of recent data. Bondi had hyped the discharge the earlier night time on Fox Information with Jesse Watters, promising “flight logs, names, and quite a lot of data.”
Bondi reveals that she discovered from a supply that the FBI’s Southern District of New York (SDNY) discipline workplace is withholding “thousands of pages” of Epstein-related paperwork.
She wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel demanding the “full and full” Epstein recordsdata by 8:00 AM on February 28, 2025, and ordered an investigation into why her preliminary request was not totally met.
On March 2, on Fox Information’ Life, Liberty & Levin with Mark Levin, Bondi supplies an replace, claiming she was misled by the FBI, which assured her only 120 pages of Epstein files existed.
On March 4, in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox Information, Bondi introduced that the FBI received “thousands of pages” of Epstein paperwork from the SDNY on February 28, following her deadline.
She assigns Kash Patel to analyze why these had been withheld and to arrange an in depth report. Bondi stresses transparency, stating, “America has the fitting to know,” and notes that the Biden administration beforehand “sat on these paperwork.”
She clarifies that redactions might be restricted to defending victims’ identities and grand jury data, promising to launch as a lot as doable.
On March 15, throughout an interview with Maria Bartiromo, Bondi addresses rising impatience among MAGA supporters over the dearth of expenses in opposition to Epstein’s associates.
She confirms crucial data was withheld and vows to uncover the reality, stating, “They will attempt to cover paperwork from us, however they’ll’t. It’d take a little bit longer, however we’ll discover them, and we’ll launch them to the American individuals.”
On April 8, conservative watchdog Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the DOJ for allegedly withholding crucial data associated to Epstein’s purchasers and associates, citing violations of the Freedom of Info Act.
