Bill O’Reilly says President Donald Trump told him the Epstein files are explosive—and could ruin people’s lives.
Speaking on Chris Cuomo on NewsNation, O’Reilly said he met with Trump in person on St. Patrick’s Day. During that talk, Trump confided that the Epstein documents could destroy people.
“He said, and I agree, there are a lot of names associated with Epstein that had nothing to do with Epstein’s conduct,” O’Reilly said. “They maybe had lunch with him or maybe had some correspondence for one thing or another. If that name gets out, those people are destroyed because there’s not going to be any context.”
Trump’s comments come as pressure grows on his administration over the Justice Department’s refusal to release more records from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The DOJ claims there’s no “client list” and insists Epstein died by suicide. They say no additional documents will be made public.
That’s not sitting well with many conservatives—and it’s reopening old wounds. Trump had previously hinted on the campaign trail that he would fully release the Epstein files. Now, many of his own supporters are demanding answers.
O’Reilly called on Trump to act. He said Trump should direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to hold a press conference to explain what investigators found—without naming names.
“All you gotta do is say to the Attorney General, ‘You’re gonna hold a press conference,’” O’Reilly said. “You’re going to tell them generally what we’ve learned about the Epstein case in a very methodical way. You’ll answer some questions. You’re not to mention any names because that could destroy people.”
“You can’t destroy human beings by putting out the files, whatever they may be,” he added. “But you certainly can have Attorney General Bondi say, ‘This is what we know, and you know, we’re going to protect the innocent, and he’s a heinous individual.’”
O’Reilly also said former Attorney General Merrick Garland, who served under Biden, should join Bondi at that press conference.
Back in February, Bondi sparked confusion during a Fox News interview by saying the Epstein file was “sitting on my desk.” She later said she wasn’t talking about any so-called “client list,” but rather the overall case files. Bondi did release some documents earlier this year, but many critics felt they didn’t reveal much.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has stirred the pot. In a now-deleted post during a public feud with Trump, Musk claimed—without proof—that the Epstein files weren’t released because Trump was mentioned in them. Trump fired back, saying he “had nothing to do with it.”
On his own website, O’Reilly said the secrecy around the case is doing real damage.
“This Epstein file controversy is hurting the credibility of the Justice Department and, by extension, the President himself,” O’Reilly wrote. “On March 17, I discussed the situation with the President in the White House and recommended that a summary of what Justice had learned about the villain be made public. Both the President and I agreed that all information cannot be put out there because some innocent people had access to Epstein, and their lives could be badly damaged if proper context is lacking.”
He added: “We all know the media doesn’t care at all about proper context. So, there’s danger for anyone whose name pops up connected to Epstein, no matter what happened. However, Americans should be told exactly what the government knows. You can redact names. Attorney General Bondi has an obligation to hold a press conference and answer questions directly. That’s what honest government does.”
On Tuesday, Trump was pressed by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting about the Epstein case. He didn’t hide his irritation.
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump said. “This guy’s been talked about for years. I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration.”
Bondi also clarified her earlier comments at that meeting. “In February, I did an interview on Fox, and it’s been getting a lot of attention because I said—I was asked a question about the client list, and my response was, ‘It’s sitting on my desk to be reviewed,’ meaning the file, along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That’s what I meant by that.”
She also confirmed that tens of thousands of videos linked to Epstein were not being released because “they turned out to be child porn.” She said: “Never going to be released, never going to see the light of day.”
The DOJ and FBI doubled down in a memo, saying, “One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”
They added that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”
Still, the public wants more. On Tuesday, Musk—who recently announced plans to start a political party—fired off another post: “How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?”
The Trump White House has yet to respond. But the pressure isn’t going away.
