A posse of “conservative influencers” strutted out of the White House Thursday afternoon, clutching white binders stamped with the Department of Justice seal and boldly titled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.”
The photo-op, dripping with drama, unfolded mere hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to peel back the curtain on Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious sex trafficking saga—only to ignite a firestorm by accusing the FBI of hoarding thousands of unseen documents.
Bondi, confirmed just weeks ago, had teased the release Wednesday on Fox News, hinting at “flight logs and a lot of names” tied to the late financier who abused scores of underage girls.
But as influencers like Rogan “DC Draino” O’Handley, Chaya “Libs of TikTok” Raichik, Liz Wheeler, and Jack Posobiec waved their binders for the cameras, a review revealed heavy redactions and mostly rehashed info—think Epstein’s phonebook, not a bombshell ledger.
The letdown sparked fury from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who chairs a House GOP transparency task force. RELATED :Jeffrey Epstein Files Set To Drop: AG Bondi Promises Flight Logs And Names Thursday
“I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today… A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein’s phonebook,” Luna fumed on X. “THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment.”
The real twist came later Thursday, when Bondi fired off a scorching letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, alleging the bureau’s New York field office sat on “thousands of pages” of Epstein files.
She’d requested the full dossier pre-Patel’s confirmation, only to get a measly 200 pages—peanuts compared to the 1,000-plus pages unsealed in 2024 from a Ghislaine Maxwell lawsuit. “I was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set,” Bondi wrote, before a tip blew the lid off.
Now, she’s demanding everything—records, audio, video, client details—by 8 a.m. Friday, vowing “no withholdings or limitations.”
Patel responded on X, saying, “The FBI is entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued. If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be. The oath we take is to the Constitution, and under my leadership, that promise will be upheld without compromise.”
Epstein’s shadow looms large: a predator who, from the ‘90s to his 2019 jail-cell suicide, allegedly exploited kids as young as 14, linked to a who’s-who of power players.
Last year’s Giuffre v. Maxwell dump—victim testimonies, police reports—fed public hunger for more, a clamor President Donald Trump’s election turbocharged. Bondi’s binders, marked “declassified” (though their original status is murky), were meant to deliver. Instead, they’ve unleashed chaos—conservatives crowing transparency while others cry cover-up.
READ: AG Pam Bondi Approves Transfer Of Murderer George John Hanson To Oklahoma For Execution
The FBI, already sued for allegedly botching early Epstein probes, stayed mum Thursday.
Bondi’s ultimatum hangs heavy: will Patel cough up the goods, or deepen the distrust? For now, those binders—paraded by influencers, not lawmakers—symbolize a White House gambit that’s half revelation, half riddle, with America still guessing who’s in Epstein’s orbit and why the full truth remains just out of reach.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.