Attorney General Pam Bondi has mishandled the Epstein document situation from the outset.
First, she “misspoke” about the alleged existence of client-blackmail files, she missed the targeted release date, and now she has just dropped another bombshell.
After Bondi announced that she had found an additional one million Epstein-related documents, President Donald Trump became clearly upset, and I cannot help but wonder whether he is losing his patience with the AG.
The DOJ was supposed to have released all the Epstein files by Dec. 19, but officials claimed that they were still going through the files to protect the victims and needed more time.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle then started to express concern, with some hinting that Bondi could face contempt charges.
It only got worse for Bondi on Christmas Eve, when it was announced that the DOJ had come across one million more documents. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) seemed to put this all on the Trump administration, stating, “It’s outrageous that the D.O.J. has illegally withheld over one million documents from the public.”
He seems to forget that all these files were in possession of the Biden DOJ for the four years prior, and Joe Biden did not even consider releasing them. Why are Democrats not asking about that instead of putting all of the blame on Trump?
The situation led to the DOJ begging staffers to come in and work over the holiday week to help get all the files released as soon as possible.
A supervising prosecutor reportedly wrote to staffers, “I am aware that the timing could not be worse.”
The statement continued, “For some the holidays are about to begin, but I know that for others the holidays are coming to an end.”
The plea for help continued, “We have an obligation to the public to release these documents and before we can do so, certain redactions must be made to protect the identity of the victims, among other things.”
Trump is clearly frustrated that more files have been exposed because he knows Democrats will put this on his administration, as well as push the narrative that the president himself is implicated in the hidden files.
Upon hearing about the additional discovery, Trump stated, "DOJ is being forced to spend all of its time on this Democrat inspired Hoax. When do they say NO MORE, and work on Election Fraud etc. The Dems are the ones who worked with Epstein, not the Republicans. Release all of their names, embarrass them, and get back to helping our Country!” He continued, "The Radical Left doesn’t want people talking about Trump and Republican success, only a long ago dead Jeffrey Epstein. Just another witch hunt."
I believe Trump is reacting in a manner opposite to how he should be responding. Trump could have put this on Biden right away by saying that the files had been hidden, but that his administration had since found them and will be releasing them all. He again should have stated that he has nothing to conceal, and that DOJ lawyers are working tirelessly to release all documents. Trump should emphasize that this clearly is not a hoax, as Epstein’s activities are well documented.
By being so defensive, Trump is only inviting more criticism from Democrats. But that defensiveness has me wondering how much longer Bondi will remain in her role. Trump clearly just wants this to go away, and Bondi is going directly against his wishes. I just cannot imagine Trump’s patience lasting much longer.
