AG Bondi's misstep with Epstein binders upsets White House

Last week, when several conservative influencers left the White House with binders related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, the public speculated that a new wave of declassified information about the most infamous child molester of the modern era was coming. However, the result was absolutely disappointing, especially for supporters of President Donald Trump, who criticized the scant information that came out of those files.

Surprisingly, however, the decision to release those files was not the decision of the White House, much less Trump, but of one particular official: Attorney General Pam Bondi, who wanted to surprise the West Wing with the files, probably thinking that they would be a media hit and a new achievement for the Trump administration in the face of its base.

However, Bondi quickly realized that the decision was not the best. First, the press, both traditional and independent, promptly detected that the information received by the influencers - most notably Liz Wheeler, Rogan O'Handley and Chaya Raichik, the creator of Libs of TikTok - had previously been disclosed during civil or criminal litigation involving Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. The public quickly deduced its own upon independent review of the files.

According to a report by ABC News, Bondi's move caught both White House officials and the influencers, who were scheduled to meet with Vice President JD Vance and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as part of an event organized for activists President Trump deemed essential during the election campaign.

According to the report, since the binders were handed out, the White House had to work swiftly and quietly to control the repercussions, privately contacting influencers who were critical of prosecutor Bondi and the binder handout.

Earlier in the day, some conservative independent reporters had already revealed, citing inside sources, that Bondi had acted alone and attempted to surprise the White House.

However, it only generated annoyance and confusion among senior officials, including those closest to President Trump.

In an attempt to control the fallout, Bondi also made a move, accusing the New York FBI Office of unilaterally withholding thousands of documents related to the Epstein case that they had previously requested, according to a public missive sent to FBI Director, Kash Patel who had accompanied the attorney general to deliver the Epstein folders.

In that statement, Bondi asked Patel to investigate what happened, requesting a detailed report on the matter and, in addition, suggestions for punishments for those involved.

In the meantime, James E. Dennehy, the head of the FBI's New York Field Office, the largest in the country, has left his post after being asked to resign a day after the missive.