Donald Trump has come to the defence of US Attorney General Pam Bondi, following a wave of criticism over a recent Justice Department memo that failed to reveal new information about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged client list. The backlash, coming largely from Trump’s own base, has placed Bondi in an increasingly uncomfortable spotlight—accused of walking back previous promises and withholding crucial evidence.
In a sprawling post on social media, the former president dismissed the criticism, describing it as a “waste of time and energy” and urging supporters to “let Pam Bondi do her job”. The message, written in Trump’s signature capital letters, was aimed at both quelling unrest among conservatives and reaffirming confidence in Bondi’s leadership.
The controversy began when the Justice Department, under Bondi’s oversight, released a memo last Monday in conjunction with the FBI. The report, which followed months of anticipation, concluded that there was no incriminating client list and no evidence Epstein had blackmailed high-profile individuals. The findings, according to the document, came after a thorough review of more than 300 gigabytes of seized data. For many, however, the outcome was anticlimactic.
Bondi had previously made comments suggesting she possessed explosive information. In February, during an interview with Fox News, she stated that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”. This week, however, she walked back those remarks, saying they referred more broadly to the “Epstein file” and not a specific list of names.
The memo’s release did little to silence long-standing suspicions, and in fact, seemed to inflame them. Among Bondi’s critics are some of Trump’s most fervent allies, including far-right figure Laura Loomer and billionaire Elon Musk—who also happens to be Trump’s largest campaign donor. Both have voiced concerns that Bondi’s Justice Department is concealing the truth.
Loomer, a well-known conspiracy theorist who was frequently seen alongside Trump during campaign events, posted on X that the department’s “lack of transparency” could come at a steep political cost. Musk went further last month, implying that Trump himself might appear in yet-unreleased Epstein files. The White House quickly denied the claim, and the post was later deleted.
Frustration is also boiling over within conservative media circles. Podcaster and former police officer Brandon Tatum addressed a packed crowd at a Turning Point USA conference in Tampa, Florida, where he questioned whether the public was being misled. Megyn Kelly, a prominent media personality, said on stage that Bondi’s statements about the Epstein case appeared to contradict one another. “Pam Bondi was either telling the truth then, or she’s telling the truth now, but both cannot be true,” she said.
Tensions have reportedly reached the upper levels of the White House. According to CBS News, a heated meeting took place between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino following the release of the memo. Bongino, a longtime Trump ally who had previously echoed Bondi’s claims of forthcoming evidence, was said to be angered by the lack of revelations. He did not report to work the following Friday, and insiders have hinted he may be considering resignation.
Loomer added fuel to the fire by claiming Bongino was “seriously thinking about resigning”, while former Trump National Security Adviser Mike Flynn called the Epstein scandal a political albatross. “If the administration doesn’t address the massive number of unanswered questions about Epstein, especially the abuse of children by elites… then moving forward on so many other monumental challenges becomes much harder,” Flynn warned in a Saturday post.
Despite the backlash, Trump appears intent on steering the conversation elsewhere. At a recent White House press conference, when asked about Epstein, he seemed exasperated. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” he said, later adding, “That is unbelievable.” He expressed disappointment that, despite the flood of other national issues, the Epstein saga continued to dominate public discourse.
But for many within his base, the Epstein case has become a litmus test for truth and transparency. Trump has built much of his political identity around fighting shadowy elites and exposing deep state secrets. Now, some of his most loyal supporters are beginning to wonder if his own administration is shielding the very information they once promised to expose.
The internal rift—between Trump loyalists, the Justice Department, and parts of the conservative media—is unlikely to fade quickly. As November’s election creeps closer, the Epstein narrative continues to cast a long shadow. It’s not just about Epstein anymore. It’s about trust. And for some, that trust is starting to erode.
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