MAGA influencers lash out at Trump administration over Epstein case, call for Pam Bondi's ouster

The MAGA world has once again descended into civil war overnight. Days after a Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI memo was revealed denying the existence of an alleged client list of child molester and sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein, dozens of the most influential figures on the conservative right did not hesitate to lash out against the Trump administration publicly. The main individual singled out for the case is none other than Attorney General Pam Bondi, who months ago fueled expectations out of all proportion, promising total transparency and assuring that the client list was literally "on her desk," undergoing a review process.

However, Bondi's promises about unearthing scandalous new information about the Epstein case quickly went unfulfilled. Last Sunday, Axios published the contents of a joint DOJ-FBI memo that blasted years of theories about an alleged "blacklist" of powerful Epstein clients that theorists said remained hidden by the federal government. The document was very clear: “No incriminating ‘client list’ was found,” nor “credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.” In addition, it was made clear that much of the material in the government's hands - around 300 gigabytes - cannot be made public because of the nature of the content, which includes child abuse images and data identifying victims.

The announcement dropped like an anvil on the MAGA world, igniting the country's leading right-wing influencers. Elon Musk, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, Mike Cernovich, Glenn Beck, Laura Loomer, the popular Hodge Twins and several other figures reacted immediately and virulently. Most aimed at Bondi, the Department of Justice, the "Deep State" and, to a lesser extent, President Donald Trump, whom they accused of reneging on his promise to make public the full files on the Epstein case and ignoring requests from his political base, including berating the press for querying him on the most recent memo.

"They arrested (and killed) Peanut, but have not even tried to file charges against anyone on the Epstein client list," Musk said on X. "Government is deeply broken."

"How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?" the mogul asked in another post.

Glenn Beck, a political commentator and conservative activist, also lashed out at Bondi for allowing the release of a closed-circuit video that showed the area near the cell where Epstein allegedly committed suicide, but which brought no new information to the case.

"Pam Bondi should resign—not because of a cover-up, but for incompetence. Not only is there a minute missing from the Epstein cell video, BUT IT WASN’T EVEN THE RIGHT CAMERA ANGLE. What the DOJ gave us was a partial view of the facility, which JUST MISSES Epstein’s cell. We've known for years there wasn't a working camera on his cell, so WHY RELEASE THIS VIDEO? And why not tell us there's a video glitch in advance of the release?! This isn’t about whether Epstein killed himself or not. What matters more is REAL transparency and justice. But instead what we got was absolute INCOMPETENCE in the Attorney General’s office."

Host Tucker Carlson, who did a show with journalist Saagar Enjeti dedicated almost exclusively to the Epstein case, accused Bondi and the DOJ of covering up evidence by claiming without evidence that U.S. —and Israeli—security agencies are compromised, and that's why they won't release all the evidence.

"So the only other explanation that I can think of, again, maybe you’ve got another, is that intel services are at the very center of this story, U.S. and Israeli, and they’re being protected. I think that seems like the most obvious…"

Laura Loomer, in addition to calling for his resignation, also said Bondi lied to the public by saying the federal government has no knowledge about whether Epstein had agreements with any U.S. security agency to be an informant.

The controversy, however, already had a history, which of course increased the criticism. Last February, Pam Bondi, during an interview with Fox News, said that the DOJ planned to release Epstein's client list and, in fact, had it in her office for review. Then, the DOJ, allegedly behind the White House's back, according to various reports, organized a handover of folders marked "declassified" to MAGA influencers at the White House itself. That event turned out to be a dud, as the contents of the files, which promised to be unpublished, genuinely disappointed both insiders and outsiders: they contained no new information or explosive evidence as had been suggested for weeks and the much-hyped Client list was conspicuous... but by its absence.

With the new memo released, many in the MAGA world interpreted it as confirmation that the federal government, even under Trump's watch, is hiding the truth. Thus, they must keep pushing for new information.

For example, journalist Mike Cernovich, close to Trump in the past, said he will continue to press for answers after Trump blasted a reporter for asking him about the matter at the White House. "We will continue asking about Epstein," he wrote on X.

Trump, visibly upset, had downplayed the case: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years.  Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable."

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt unsuccessfully sought to calm critics by clarifying that, when Bondi spoke of an Epstein "client list," he was actually referring to "all of the paper, in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes." But the explanation did not sink in at all; generating even more questioning of a Trump administration that has been overwhelmed by the issue, especially in the last few hours.