Imagine a room full of eager conservative influencers, clutching binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” only to find recycled drivel inside.
This debacle, centered on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s mishandled release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents in February 2025, has sparked internal friction within the Trump administration and frustration among the president’s loyal base.
Let’s rewind to the buildup: Bondi hyped the impending release on Fox News, teasing major revelations about Epstein’s notorious activities with a dramatic flair.
On Feb. 27, 2025, at a White House event, influencers like Liz Wheeler and Rogan O’Handley (aka DC Draino) were handed these binders, expecting bombshells.
Instead, they got old contact lists with redacted addresses—hardly the earth-shattering disclosures promised to expose elite misconduct tied to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019.
The backlash was swift, as Trump’s supporters, hungry for transparency after years of promises, felt duped by what amounted to a paperweight of nothingness.
Enter White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who didn’t mince words in a Vanity Fair interview published on a recent Tuesday, critiquing Bondi’s grasp of the issue’s weight.
“I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,” Wiles said, pointing to Bondi’s failure to deliver for Trump’s core fans.
Her jab about “binders full of nothingness” stings with truth—why hype something so critical only to serve up stale crumbs?
Adding to the tension, a Justice Department memo from earlier in the summer revealed no incriminating “client list” exists, nor evidence to pursue uncharged parties.
Yet, with Trump signing the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025, mandating the DOJ to release most remaining records within 30 days, the clock is ticking.
Behind the scenes, dozens of FBI agents in New York are sifting through files, though some skeptics murmur about efforts to shield certain names—a claim lacking hard proof.
Trump himself isn’t untouched by the Epstein saga, with his name appearing in records as a social acquaintance from the 1990s, though never linked to wrongdoing.
He’s openly admitted to flying on Epstein’s plane, as passenger manifests show, but a falling out ended their association long before the scandal’s full scope emerged.
“He’s in the file. And we know he’s in the file. And he’s not in the file doing anything awful,” Wiles noted, dispelling any shadow of impropriety with a blunt defense.
Curiously, in July 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida, who’s serving 20 years for sex trafficking.
Maxwell’s subsequent transfer to a less restrictive Texas facility, without consulting Wiles or Trump, raised eyebrows and reportedly irked the president.
Meanwhile, Bondi took to X to defend Wiles, stressing unity with, “Any attempt to divide this administration will fail. We are family.” Nice sentiment, but the Epstein file flop still smarts for many who expected more.
