The shrinking circle of support: Here are the few Republicans defending Trump and Bondi over Epstein
Epstein's case and the conspiracy theories surrounding it were welcomed by Donald Trump's campaign, with supporters and prominent right-wing media figures demanding the president expose the alleged cabal fueling Epstein's criminal enterprise.
But now the president dismisses Epstein's case as a 'hoax,' a 'scam,' and 'bull****,' and even asked a room of reporters why anyone is 'still talking' about a sex offender 'nobody cares about.'
His dismissive statements — and statements from Department of Justice and FBI officials affirming Epstein died by suicide and that no such 'client list' exists — have triggered a civil war among the president's supporters and a constellation of right-wing figures wondering whether Trump has something to hide.
The White House handed over binders of previously disclosed Epstein-related documents to several far-right influencers earlier this year in an apparent effort to prove that the administration was listening to them. But the administration has since reversed course, and the people who once believed Trump would hold Epstein's network accountable are now blaming the president, administration officials or unseen government figures for failing them.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has brushed aside criticisms over her handling of Jeffrey Epstein's case while Donald Trump has called the investigation a 'hoax,' raising questions among their allies that the president has something to hide (Reuters)
Who is sticking with Trump?
While Trump repeatedly tries to get his supporters to talk about anything else, top officials at the Justice Department and FBI aren't entertaining questions about ruptures in Trumpworld and criticisms over their handling of the case.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that Epstein's client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' She later clarified that she was broadly referencing the case files, and she has since brushed aside questions about the case and in-fighting among Trump's allies about their release.
'We're going to fight to keep America safe again and we're fighting together as a team. That's what's so important right now,' she told reporters this week.
Trump has also told reporters that Bondi has 'handled that very well' and said she should release 'whatever she thinks is credible.'
'She's really done a very good job,' Trump said Tuesday. 'I think when you look at it, you'll understand that.'
In a post on X, FBI director Kash Patel said 'the conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been.'
'It's an honor to serve the President of the United States … and I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me,' he said.
Last year, podcaster Dan Bongino — now Patel's deputy director — said he didn't trust 'any story they tell me about Jeffrey Epstein.'
'There is a reason this client list is hidden,' he said at the time.
He was reportedly 'out of control furious' and threatened to quit over mounting frustrations with the case, but Trump has since called him 'a very good guy.'
'I like Dan,' Trump told reporters this week.
Far-right influencers were handed binders of largely already-available documents in the Epstein case in February (AFP/Getty)
Some prominent right-wing figures and influencers who made their names amplifying conspiracy theories to support the president's agenda appear satisfied with Trump's word.
'Even though there are unanswered questions about Epstein, it is in fact time to move on,' Dinesh D'Souza said on his podcast.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan also said he has 'confidence in President Trump' and defended Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Bondi, Bongino and Patel. He said he has 'total confidence' in the administration.
Who wants accountability?
But many other Republican members of Congress including Trump's staunchest allies aren't satisfied. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is for 'full transparency' and suggested the Justice Department should 'put everything out there and let the people decide it.'
Other prominent far-right lawmakers such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Anna Paulina Luna and Nancy Mace, among others, are also demanding those documents.
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina was among representatives who voted with Democrats to try to forced the Justice Department to release more information on the case.
'I think that the American people need to see what's in there, and that's not hard to understand. Across the board, government's supposed to work for us,' Norman told CNN. 'If there's nothing there, show the blank sheet.'
Ghislane Maxwell is serving a prison sentence on trafficking charges in connection with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 (AFP/Getty)
After saying he was 'done' with Epstein, podcaster Charlie Kirk later said his full remarks were taken out of context, and he has pushed for the Justice Department to unseal grand jury testimony
Far-right influencers Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Mike Cernovich, Matt Walsh, Jack Posobiec and Benny Johnson have also remained skeptical of the administration's narrative, and Johnson said on X that 'powerful MAGA voices' should be credited with pressuring the administration to change its approach.
Laura Loomer has called on Bondi to resign, warning that her handling of the Epstein case threatens to 'consume' Trump's presidency.
Who blames Trump?
Elon Musk dropped a bomb in the middle of his feud with the president over a megabill moving through Congress, stating on X that Trump is 'in the Epstein files.'
'That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' he wrote last month.
Last week, he posted 'What's the time? Oh look, it's no-one-has-been-arrested-o'clock again,' with a graphic that read 'The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter' with several zeroes underneath it.
This week, he mocked Trump's claim that the case is a 'hoax.'
'Wow, amazing that Epstein 'killed himself' and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,' said Musk, referencing Epstein's associate Ghislane Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after she was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences.
'He should just release the files and point out which part is the hoax,' Musk added.
Steve Bannon is among far-right figures who have placed Epstein's case at the center of a wider 'deep state' conspiracy theory implicating powerful world figures trying to undermine Trump (Getty)
Other Trump loyalists have wondered why the president is risking his presidency on his resistance his supporters' demands.
'Why is 47 making the worst moves of his tenure in the last 9 years?' Alex Jones asked on X.
Far-right commentator Wayne Allyn Root also pleaded with Trump on X to 'just release' the files.
'Best 6 months for any president in history. Everything he's doing is fantastic. Why risk it all on this stupid file?' he wrote.
And who blames the 'deep state' — or Democrats?
While prominent voices on the right are demanding more from the Justice Department, they have also suggested that they believe the Trump administration is not solely to blame, reviving long-brewing conspiracy theories that Democratic officials and rogue prosecutors have destroyed evidence or otherwise interfered with the Epstein investigation.
Trump himself claimed the case was somehow 'made up' by President Barack Obama and former FBI director James Comey. Epstein was arrested in 2019 during Trump's first administration, and he was found dead that same year in his jail cell.
That day, Trump shared a social media post claiming Bill Clinton was involved.
'I want a full investigation, and that's what I absolutely am demanding,' Trump told reporters at the time.
'Was it suicide? Was he killed?' he told Axios in 2020.
Longtime Republican operative and Trump ally Roger Stone said Patel is 'telling us the truth' and believes former FBI director Christopher Wray and the Joe Biden-era Justice Department 'destroyed' evidence.
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon has gestured to the wider conspiracy theory environment surrounding the Epstein case and its links to QAnon and an alleged 'deep state' threatening Trump's agenda.
'In that arc of looking at how the deep state has tried to stop Trump and the MAGA movement, you can easily fit in,' Bannon told a crowd at a Turning Point US conference this week.
'Epstein is a key that picks the lock on so many things,' he said. 'Not just individuals, but also institutions. Intelligence institutions, foreign governments, and who was working with him on our intelligence apparatus and in our government.'
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