U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “whatever she thinks is credible” concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, amid growing pressure from within his own political base to revisit the case.
Epstein, a wealthy financier with deep connections to elite political and business circles, died in 2019 in a U.S. prison while awaiting federal trial. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but skepticism surrounding the circumstances has fueled years of conspiracy theories especially among Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
Last week, Bondi stirred controversy by stating there was no evidence of a “client list” or any blackmail operation, prompting backlash from conservative supporters who believe vital information about Epstein’s network remains concealed.
While Trump initially urged his followers not to “waste time and energy” on the matter, calls for full transparency have only intensified. On Tuesday, Trump backed Bondi’s discretion on the matter, adding, “She’s handled it very well… whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”
Still, the president appeared frustrated by the ongoing media focus, calling the saga “sordid but boring” and claiming “only really bad people, including the fake news, want to keep something like this going.”
Key Republican allies are not letting the issue fade. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Bondi “needs to come forward and explain it to everybody,” advocating for full disclosure. Conservative firebrands Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert echoed the sentiment, with Boebert calling for a special counsel if more files aren’t released.
Senator John Kennedy added, “The American people would like to know who he trafficked those women to and why they weren’t prosecuted.”
Bondi, however, refused to answer questions about Epstein at a Tuesday press conference, stating only that a Justice Department memo confirming Epstein’s suicide “speaks for itself.”
House Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, as Republicans pointed out that President Joe Biden’s administration also had access to the documents but chose not to release them.
As pressure mounts, the case remains a lightning rod in American politics, with transparency now at the center of bipartisan scrutiny.
