The United States President, Donald Trump, has thrown his support behind Attorney General Pam Bondi’s discretion regarding the release of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following criticism from some of his supporters who feel the administration is trying to move past the controversy too quickly.
Bondi came under fire from within Trump’s conservative base after stating last week that there was no indication Epstein maintained a “client list” or was using information to blackmail powerful individuals.
Over the weekend, Trump told his supporters not to “waste time and energy” on the case.
However, senior Republicans, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, are now pressing for full “transparency.”
Epstein died in a U.S. jail cell in 2019 while awaiting federal charges, with officials ruling the death a suicide. Despite this, many of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” loyalists continue to believe that key information regarding Epstein’s dealings has been kept from the public to shield influential figures or intelligence services.
On Tuesday, Trump defended Bondi’s role and reiterated his stance, “She’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”
When asked whether Bondi had disclosed to him if his name appeared in any of the documents, Trump responded, “No, no.”
Later the same day, the former president again emphasized the need to release “credible” materials.
However, he also expressed weariness with the subject: “Only really bad people, including the fake news, want to keep something like this going,” he said, calling the case “sordid but boring.”
Last week, Trump had expressed his irritation inside the Oval Office over the persistent attention on Epstein and urged a national shift in focus.
Despite this, some prominent Republicans are pressing forward.
Speaking with conservative pundit Benny Johnson on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had confidence in Trump and his administration but insisted that Bondi needed to offer more clarity.
“We should put everything out there and let the people decide,” Johnson said.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, also speaking to Benny Johnson, voiced similar sentiments: “I fully support transparency on this issue.”
While she lauded Bondi’s record as attorney general, Greene urged political leaders to honor their promises to voters.
Bondi herself has stated that the Department of Justice memo issued last week “speaks for itself.”
Representative Lauren Boebert from Colorado said the Justice Department’s refusal to disclose more details might justify the appointment of a special counsel to further investigate Epstein’s activities.
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, meanwhile, said Americans have a right to more answers.
“I think it’s perfectly understandable that the American people would like to know who he [Epstein] trafficked those women to and why they weren’t prosecuted,” Kennedy told NBC News.
Other GOP lawmakers, including Senator John Thune and Congressman Jim Jordan, have opted to follow Trump’s lead and refrained from further commentary.
“We should put everything on the table and let the people decide,” Johnson repeated.
During a separate news event focused on fentanyl on Tuesday, Bondi declined to address reporters’ questions about the Epstein case.
“Nothing about Epstein,” she said. “I’m not going to talk about Epstein.”
She added that the joint DOJ-FBI memo, which confirmed Epstein’s death as a suicide and said there were no plans to release further documents, “speaks for itself.”
Back in February, Bondi told Fox News she had a list of Epstein’s clients on her desk for review. Her office later clarified that she was referring more broadly to files from the case.
According to the DOJ memo, over 300 gigabytes of data had been reviewed before reaching its conclusions.
Earlier on Tuesday, House Democrats attempted, but failed, to secure a vote to compel the release of Epstein-related files.
Republicans, meanwhile, noted that President Joe Biden’s administration also had access to the same files but similarly chose not to release them.
