On Wednesday night, Attorney General Pam Bondi made a significant commitment that she would reveal some “pretty sick” details about the Jeffrey Epstein case. However, she only kept this promise in a technical sense.
About 200 pages of documents pertaining to the deceased, convicted sex trafficker were made public by the Department of Justice on Thursday. However, those partially redacted documents had already been leaked, and AG Bondi wants thousands more to be sent to her by Friday morning because she believes the FBI actually has them. Additionally, she is giving Kash Patel, the new bureau director, two weeks to learn the reason they were denied.
“I asked to see all of Jeffrey Epstein’s files before you started working here. I received about 200 pages of documents in response to this request, mostly flight logs, Epstein’s contact list, and a list of victims’ names and phone numbers. In her letter to Patel on Thursday, Bondi wrote, “I kept asking if this was the complete set of documents responsive to my request and kept getting assurances from the FBI that we had received the complete set of documents.” “I found out from a source late yesterday that the FBI Field Office in New York had thousands of pages of documents pertaining to Epstein’s investigation and indictment.”
“The FBI never revealed the existence of these files, despite my repeated requests. You were as shocked as I was to hear this new information when we spoke yesterday,” she added. “The full and complete Epstein files, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained, will be delivered to my office by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28. Neither you nor I will be subject to any restrictions or withholdings.
As I have done throughout my prosecutorial career, Bondi’s letter concluded, “The Department of Justice will ensure that any public disclosure of these files will be done in a manner to protect the privacy of victims and in accordance with the law.” Additionally, I’m giving you instructions to look into why my directive to the FBI was not followed right away. Within 14 days, you will provide me with a thorough report outlining your conclusions and suggested personnel action.
In fact, there was nothing shockingly new in Thursday’s drop. Handwritten flight logs, a brief evidence list, a contact book with some redaction, and a fully redacted list of 254 potential victims who were identified as masseuses made up its approximately 200 pages.
It’s noteworthy that President Donald Trump’s name appears more than once in the flight log. His apparent relationship with Epstein, however, is not new; in fact, they have previously been photographed together.
“This Department of Justice is carrying out President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” Bondi said in a statement in response to the less than ideal rollout. The initial set of documents made public today illuminates Epstein’s vast network and starts to bring long-overdue accountability to the public.
The FBI is embarking on a new era, Patel continued, one that will be characterized by honesty, responsibility, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Nobody from the previous or current Bureau will be allowed to sabotage this; there will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no investigation left unexplored. We’ll find any gaps if there are. We will uncover any records that have been concealed. And we’ll bring everything we discover to the DoJ so it can be thoroughly evaluated and openly shared with the American people as it ought to be. We take an oath to the Constitution, and under my direction, we will uphold that commitment without exception.
In 2019, Epstein allegedly committed suicide in his jail cell. Ghislaine Maxwell, his co-conspirator, was also found guilty of sex trafficking in 2022 and is presently serving 20 years in prison.
