U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stormed into 2025 with bold promises: she was going to release everything the government had on Jeffrey Epstein—including the so-called “client list.”
In February, Bondi wrote a forceful letter to FBI Director Kash Patel demanding every document tied to Epstein be turned over by 8:00 a.m. that Friday. “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein,” she wrote. “Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of the files.”
She didn’t stop there. Bondi ordered Patel to launch an investigation into why the FBI had allegedly withheld this information. “You will deliver to me a comprehensive report of your findings and proposed personnel action within 14 days,” she said.
That letter lit a fire in Washington. Bondi went on Fox News and doubled down when asked whether Epstein’s infamous client list would be released. She didn’t hesitate: “It’s on my desk,” she said.
That comment made headlines. Her supporters—especially on the right—saw her as finally pulling the lid off what many believe to be a long-running cover-up of Epstein’s ties to powerful people.
But just weeks later, everything changed.
Instead of releasing the files, Bondi authorized the Department of Justice to issue a memo that completely reversed course. According to that memo, there is no Epstein client list—“no incriminating ‘client list’” and “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.”
The memo also said that no additional records would be made public and added that much of the material was sealed to protect victims. “Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,” the memo read.
The about-face was stunning. The same attorney general who said a client list was sitting on her desk was now claiming no such list existed. The reaction was swift and furious. Across social media and cable news, critics accused Bondi of a cover-up. Even some of her allies began questioning what changed.
But now, the February letter she wrote to Patel is coming back to haunt her—and it’s doing more damage than any critic’s accusation ever could.
In that letter, Bondi clearly stated that she had been informed the FBI held thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents. She demanded that all of it—“regardless of how it was obtained”—be released.
So how did she go from that to signing off on a memo saying the files didn’t exist, or weren’t worth releasing?
The memo even tried to tamp down public pressure by warning: “Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither [justice nor victim protection].”
Even more damning, the memo stated that no further charges would be filed and that investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
This flat-out contradicts Bondi’s earlier claim in May, when she said the FBI was reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” involving Epstein and child pornography.
Critics say the DOJ memo isn’t just disappointing—it’s a lie. And her February letter proves it. That letter confirmed there was a large trove of hidden documents.
Now, with that same DOJ saying there’s nothing there, people are asking the obvious question: What changed?
Was Bondi lying then—or is she lying now?
You can read the letter below:
