DOJ walks back theory promoted by AG Pam Bondi and now says that Epstein ‘client list’ doesn’t exist

Jacquelyn Martin—APJeffrey Epstein did not maintain a “client list,” the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite mises from Attorney General Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists

The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represents a public walk-back of a theory that the Trump administration had helped mote, with Bondi suggesting in a Fox News interview earlier this year that such a document was “sitting on my desk” for review

Even as it released from inside a New York jail meant to definitively ve that Epstein killed himself, the department also said in a memo that it was refusing to disclose other evidence investigators had collected

Bondi for weeks had suggested more material was going to be revealed — “It’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public,” she said at one point — after a first document dump she had hyped angered President Donald Trump’s base by failing to der revelations

That episode, in which far-right influencers were invited to the White House in February and vided with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” that contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain, has spurred conservative internet personalities to sharply criticize Bondi

After the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were poring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI

In a March TV interview, she claimed the Biden administration “sat on these documents, no one did anything with them,” adding: “Sadly these people don’t believe in transparency, but I think more unfortunately, I think a lot of them don’t believe in honesty. ” But after a months-long review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined that no “further disclosure would be appriate or warranted,” the memo says

The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to tect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial. ” “One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” the memo says. “Perpetuating unfounded theories Epstein serves neither of those ends. ” The two-page memo bore the logos of the Justice Department and the FBI but was not signed by any individual official

Conservatives who have sought of of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities and death expressed outrage Monday over the department’s position

Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted: “We were all told more was coming

That answers were out there and would be vided

Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been

And it didn’t have to be. ” Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote that “next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,’” calling it “over the top sickening. ” Elon Musk d a series of photos of a clown applying makeup appearing to mock Bondi for saying the client list doesn’t exist after suggesting months ago that it was on her desk

The client list hubbub began when Bondi was asked in a Fox News interview whether the department would release such a document

She replied: “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. ” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said Monday that Bondi was referring to the overall Epstein case files

Among the evidence that the Justice Department said Monday it has in its possession, and will not be releasing, are images of Epstein, “images and s of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors,” and more than 10,000 “downloaded s and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography. ” The memo does not explain when or where the s were located, who and what they depict and whether they were newly found as investigators scoured their collection of evidence or were known for some time to have been in the government’s possession

The Associated Press published a story last week unanswered questions surrounding possible evidence after Bondi cited the existence of “tens of thousands” of s that she said showed Epstein “with children or child porn. ” Multiple people who participated in the criminal cases of Epstein and socialite former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told AP that they had not seen and did not know of a trove of recordings along the lines of what Bondi had referenced

Indictments and detention memos also don’t allege the existence of recordings and neither Epstein nor Maxwell were charged with possession of child sex abuse material even though that would have been easier for secutors to ve than the sex trafficking counts they faced

The AP did find reference in a filing in a civil lawsuit to the discovery by the Epstein estate of s and pictures that could constitute child sex abuse material, but lawyers involved in that case said a tective order prevents them from discovering the specifics of that evidence and the Justice Department did not respond to a detailed list of questions from AP the s Bondi was referencing

The department’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion

More recently, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have insisted in television and podcast interviews that the evidence was that Epstein had killed himself

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