MAGA turns on Pam Bondi, Trump administration over Epstein files
A recent memo by the FBI and Justice Department concluded that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in custody for sex trafficking charges. It also said their "exhaustive review" found no evidence of an Epstein "client list."
Trump's supporters have pushed for his administration to release details about Epstein's associates, and many are expressing displeasure at this latest development.
"I remember when a bimbo Barbie was installed as AG and then all of these child sex crimes were wiped under the rug," conservative activist and social media influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X July 8, referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Loomer, a staunch Trump ally, also added a direct appeal to Vice President JD Vance, asking him to "please encourage President Trump to fire Pam Blondi. She is a disgrace."
In a February interview with Fox News, Bondi was asked about a "client list" and seemed to confirm its existence by saying, "It's sitting on my desk right now to review."
The attorney general walked those statements back during a July 8 Cabinet meeting, clarifying that she had been referring to the entirety of the Epstein case materials.
While campaigning in 2024, Trump suggested he would have "no problem" releasing more details on the Epstein investigation. Bondi said in a February statement the Department of Justice was following through and "lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators."
Other Trump appointees, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, were once leading voices questioning the official record of Epstein's death.
Now members of the administration, Patel and Bongino have seemingly reversed course and rejected conspiracy theories that he had died by murder rather than suicide.
Trump, in the July 8 Cabinet meeting, also blasted a reporter for posing a question about Epstein, saying: "Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable."
"I mean, I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein," the president added.
But some of the president's most fervent allies are coming out against his administration over the issue of Epstein.
"I just really need the Trump administration to succeed and to save this country, and they're doing so much good. And then for them to do something like this tears my guts out," radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said in a video posted to X July 7.
Jones was ordered by courts in 2022 to pay more than $1 billion in damages to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre, after promoting false claims that the deadly shooting was a hoax.
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