The highly anticipated release of documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case unraveled into a storm of frustration and accusations Thursday, as conservative figures and Attorney General Pam Bondi charged that the FBI was concealing the full scope of the disgraced financier’s case files.
The episode, fueled by long-simmering conspiracy theories, reignited debates over transparency and alleged cover-ups in one of America’s most notorious criminal sagas.
Epstein, a New York financier whose elite social circle once included presidents, royalty, and billionaires, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of orchestrating a sex trafficking ring involving minors.
READ: Epstein Victims’ Atty Says Clients Are ‘Very Upset’ At ‘Back Of The Hand’ Treatment From FBI, DOJ
His death—ruled a suicide by the New York medical examiner and upheld by a Justice Department inspector general probe—has done little to quell speculation that powerful figures tied to his crimes have evaded exposure. For years, conspiracy theorists have claimed, without substantiated evidence, that Epstein was murdered to silence him.
Thursday’s document drop, dubbed “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” was heralded by right-wing voices as a breakthrough under President Donald Trump’s newly reinaugurated administration. Photographs captured conservative media personalities like Jack Posobiec and DC Draino exiting the White House with binders bearing the Justice Department seal.
Initial excitement on social media quickly soured, however, as the contents—mostly trial exhibits from an Epstein associate’s case—revealed little that wasn’t already public.
The backlash was swift. Hours after the release, Bondi fired off a public letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, alleging that a source had informed her of “thousands of” undisclosed Epstein-related documents languishing in the FBI’s New York field office.
READ: Conservative Influencers Tout Epstein Files As Bondi Solders FBI, Patel For Holding Back
She claimed the bureau had delivered just 200 pages to her, far short of the “full and complete” files she demanded by 8 a.m. Friday. “There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access,” Bondi wrote, though she conceded that victim privacy would require some redactions.
Conservative influencers who had championed the release turned their ire on social media.
Liz Wheeler, among those who received a binder, posted on X, “Be outraged that the binder is boring. You should be. Because the evil deep state LIED TO YOUR FACE.”
The letdown sparked fury from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who chairs a House GOP transparency task force.
“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.”
READ (ARCHIVE): Jeffrey Epstein Files Set To Drop: AG Bondi Promises Flight Logs And Names Thursday
The furor reflects years of pent-up fixation on Epstein’s case, which has gripped both conspiracy circles and mainstream discourse since his arrest in July 2019. Federal prosecutors alleged he abused dozens of underage girls and young women at his New York and Florida properties in the early 2000s, paying victims to recruit others into his sprawling network.
The charges followed a controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida—brokered by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta—that saw Epstein serve just 13 months in county jail for soliciting a minor, avoiding a federal sentence that could have spanned decades.
Epstein’s connections to luminaries like former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Trump himself have fueled speculation, though all three have denied wrongdoing. A victims’ compensation fund, shuttered in 2021, paid out $121 million to roughly 150 survivors, offering some measure of closure—but no definitive unmasking of a supposed cabal.
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