Conservative internet and media personalities are criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration after a recent government memo appeared to contradict statements Bondi made about the case of convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two-page memo, which by the FBI and the Justice Department published after an \u201cexhaustive review\u201d of materials related to Epstein, concluded that there is no evidence of an \u201cincriminating \u2018client list\u2019\u201d or evidence that would lead to additional prosecution of third parties. The memo also concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019<\/a> and that no evidence was found to suggest he had participated in blackmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings closely mirror what NBC News and many other outlets have reported and published for years \u2014 that while Epstein sexually abused underage girls<\/a>, he did not keep a secret list of powerful pedophile clients he was blackmailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The unsigned memo, which Axios first reported<\/a> on Sunday, has enraged many prominent conservatives online who have often been supportive of the Trump administration, leading some to allege that Trump\u2019s Justice Department has taken part in a larger conspiracy to cover up aspects of the Epstein affair, which conspiracy theorists say implicates powerful and famous people, particularly Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elon Musk, who has recently feuded with Trump and his administration after he left his post at the White House, led the charge criticizing the Trump administration over the memo, posting eight times<\/a> Sunday and Monday and reposting a post<\/a> from a user saying: \u201cIf the entire government is protecting pedophiles, it has officially become the government against the people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In particular, conservatives have expressed anger that Trump and other administration members promised tangible disclosures about Epstein if Trump were elected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday morning, Musk responded \u201canytime now\u201d to a video posted last year<\/a> showing Trump saying he would have \u201cno problem\u201d looking into an Epstein client list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others have zeroed in on statements made by Bondi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In February, Bondi indicated to Fox News host John Roberts that files related to law enforcement\u2019s investigations into Epstein \u2014 information that in reality was already largely public<\/a> \u2014 included a list of Epstein clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s sitting on my desk right now to review,\u201d Bondi said<\/a>, responding to a question about a potential client list, adding that she had \u201cnot yet\u201d seen any bombshells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the wake of the memo, conservative critics are pointing to the segment as an indication of a cover-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSorry but this is unacceptable,\u201d said online activist Robby Starbuck<\/a>, best known for his successful pressure campaigns targeting major corporations for their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWas she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers,\u201d Starbuck posted alongside the video<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a segment of his YouTube show that lasted over 90 minutes, conservative pundit Benny Johnson declared<\/a> that \u201cthe federal government [is] officially confirming the cover-up is complete with Jeffrey Epstein.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mike Benz, who worked in the State Department in Trump\u2019s first administration, said on the \u201cReal America\u2019s Voice\u201d<\/a> talk show that while he trusted the senior Trump officials who released the memo, he nevertheless believed there was a vast \u201cdeep state\u201d conspiracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think you have a global network here that spans the Central Intelligence Agency in the U.S., that spans British intelligence, Israeli intelligence, Saudi intelligence,\u201d he claimed, without evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conservative commentator Rogan O\u2019Handley, who goes by DC_Draino online and participated in a Trump administration photo op in February holding binders labeled \u201cThe Epstein Files,\u201d on Monday called the memo part of a \u201cshameful chapter\u201d in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAssuming this leaked Epstein Files memo is true, then we all know this is a shameful cover-up to protect the most heinous elites. We were told multiple times the files would be released, and now it looks like backroom deals have been made to keep them hidden,\u201d he wrote in a post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the memo<\/a> Monday, saying at a news briefing that the Justice Department and FBI had \u201ccommitted to an exhaustive investigation. That\u2019s what they did, and they provided the results of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked for a message for Trump supporters who expected more people to be held accountable for Epstein\u2019s alleged crimes, she said that \u201cthis administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One former proponent of the Epstein conspiracy theory who has been silent is Dan Bongino, now the deputy director of the FBI. Before he took that job, Bongino boosted claims on his podcast<\/a> that Epstein was a career blackmailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a Jan. 4, 2024, episode, Bongino played a clip of a journalist saying she was \u201c100%\u201d convinced that Epstein was killed \u201cbecause he made his whole living blackmailing people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bongino told his listeners that he\u2019d heard the same claims from another reporter and that they were \u201csuper important.\u201d The FBI declined to comment about Bongino\u2019s former claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The memo also acknowledged the challenges in releasing further material because so much of it could be harmful to Epstein\u2019s accusers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEpstein harmed over one thousand victims,\u201d the memo said. \u201cEach suffered unique trauma. Sensitive information relating to these victims is intertwined throughout the materials. This includes specific details such as victim names and likenesses, physical descriptions, places of birth, associates, and employment history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FBI and the Justice Department also released<\/a> two versions<\/a> of a nearly 11-hour video of the outside of a prison cell door, purportedly as evidence that no one else was involved when Epstein killed himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that has done little to quell conspiracy claims. In both versions, timestamps on the videos jump from 11:58 p.m. to midnight, which has already inspired posts on X with tens of thousands of views claiming a government conspiracy to hide incriminating video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on the missing minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n