KEY POINTS:
• President Trump said Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” on Epstein, according to ABC News on July 15, 2025 • DOJ/FBI memo found “no incriminating ‘client list'” and no blackmail evidence, the official memo stated on July 2025 • House Speaker Johnson said Bondi “needs to come forward and explain,” CNN reported on July 15, 2025
President Donald Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any credible information about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following criticism from conservative supporters over the Justice Department’s handling of the case.
“Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,” Trump told reporters on July 15, according to ABC News. The president’s comments came days after the Department of Justice and FBI released a memo concluding there was no evidence Epstein maintained a client list or blackmailed prominent individuals.
According to the official DOJ/FBI memo dated July 2025, “This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list.'” The memo further stated there was “no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.”
The government review prompted backlash from Trump supporters who had expected revelations based on previous administration statements. In a Fox News interview in February, Bondi had said the Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now,” PBS News reported on July 8, 2025.
“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi had said when asked about releasing the client list, according to PBS News. The attorney general later clarified she was referring to case files rather than a specific list.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told conservative commentator Benny Johnson on July 15 that Bondi “needs to come forward and explain,” CNN reported. “I’m for transparency,” Johnson said in the podcast interview. “We should put everything out there and let the people decide.”
Trump defended Bondi over the weekend, writing on Truth Social that she was doing “a FANTASTIC JOB,” CNN reported on July 12, 2025. The president wrote: “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.”
The controversy stemmed partly from documents released in February that disappointed supporters. AP News reported on February 28, 2025 that influencers received binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” at the White House, but the documents “have largely been circulating in the public domain for years.”
According to the official DOJ/FBI memo, “After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019.” The memo cited video footage showing “nobody entered any of the tiers in the SHU” where Epstein was housed from 10:40 p.m. on August 9 until 6:30 a.m. the next morning.
When a reporter asked about Epstein at a Cabinet meeting, Trump responded: “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” PBS News reported on July 8, 2025. The president added: “This guy’s been talked about for years.”
The Justice Department determined that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” according to the official memo. The department cited concerns about protecting victims and noted files contained “over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material.”
NBC News reported on July 15, 2025 that at a conservative conference in Tampa, many attendees called for Bondi to be fired. “Trump, we elected you because you were supposed to be different,” attendee Sharon Allen told NBC News.
When asked if Bondi had told him whether his name appeared in any records, Trump replied “No, no, she’s given just a very quick briefing,” CNN reported on July 15, 2025.
According to CBS News on July 7, 2025, the DOJ and FBI review “found no evidence that notorious deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein kept a ‘client list’ of associates whom he blackmailed.”
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who had previously questioned the official account of Epstein’s death, have since stated publicly that Epstein killed himself. “He killed himself,” Bongino said on Fox News in May, according to Axios on July 7.
