No new bombshells in Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files
Conservative political commentator Rogan O’Handley, also known as DC Draino, from left, social media content creator Chaya Raichik and conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler hold up binders with a cover titled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” with Jack Posobiec at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday released government documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the first wave of files posted on the Justice Department website have largely been circulating in the public domain for years and didn’t include any new bombshells about the sex trafficking case that has been a favorite subject of conspiracy theorists.
The small batch of documents included copies of flight logs from Epstein’s private plane, which have long been available in multiple court cases, and a heavily redacted photocopy of an address book purportedly compiled by Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, which has been cited in media accounts for many years.
The Justice Department also released a blacked-out list of masseuses and an evidence list showing entries for more than 150 items, including nude images, massage tables, sex toys and other items. There wasn’t any indication whether the list was from Epstein’s case, Maxwell’s case or some other investigation.
Bondi had teased the documents during a Fox News appearance Wednesday, declaring, “Breaking news right now: You’re going to see some Epstein information released.” The Justice Department said it was making the documents public to show its commitment to transparency.
President Donald Trump, who was in office when Epstein was arrested in 2019, suggested while campaigning last year that he’d seek to open up the government’s files.
But the rollout of the documents — which were first given to political commentators at the White House hours earlier in binders that read “The Epstein Files: Phase I” — showed the administration’s penchant for showmanship and preference for conservative influencers with large social media followings.
The Justice Department didn’t post them on its website until hours later, along with a note downplaying their significance. “The first phase of declassified files largely contains documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the U.S. Government,” the note said.
The documents are unlikely to satisfy online sleuths eager for fresh details about Epstein’s crimes and his connections to famous people, which have long been the subject of intense media scrutiny. The lack of new information drew criticism even from some conservatives.
“GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on social media, calling the rollout a “complete disappointment.”
Bondi suggested in a Thursday letter to FBI Director Kash Patel that more records were recently discovered. She ordered the FBI to hand over “the full and complete Epstein files” to her by Friday morning, and directed Patel to “conduct an immediate investigation” into why her order to the FBI to turn over all documents was not followed.
Patel vowed in a post on X to ensure that all documents are provided to Justice Department leadership.
“If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be,” he said.
President Donald Trump, who was in office when Epstein was arrested, suggested while campaigning last year that he’d seek to open up the government’s files.
Epstein was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, but wound up serving just 13 months in jail. He was indicted on federal charges in New York in 2019, more than a decade after he secretly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of similar charges of sex trafficking.
The case has drawn widespread attention because of Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s links to royals, presidents and billionaires. Maxwell herself is the daughter of the late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who once owned the New York Daily News.
Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, Epstein’s criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed the final batch of a trove of documents that had been collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.
Much of the material, including transcripts of victim interviews and old police reports, had already been publicly known. They included mentions of Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew and magician David Copperfield, as well as testimony from one victim who said she met Michael Jackson at Epstein’s Florida home but nothing untoward happened with him.
The previously released files included a 2016 deposition in which an accuser recounted spending several hours with Epstein at Trump’s Atlantic City casino but didn’t say if she actually met Trump and did not accuse him of any wrongdoing. Trump has also said that he once thought Epstein was a “terrific guy,” but that they later had a falling out.
In 2023, The Associated Press obtained thousands of pages of records shedding light on the final days of Epstein’s life at a now-shuttered federal jail in Manhattan. They included emails between jail officials, psychological evaluations, internal agency reports, memos and other records.
The Justice Department’s Inspector General later issued a report finding that a “combination of negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures” by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and jail workers enabled Epstein to take his own life in August 2019. The watchdog report found no evidence of foul play.
_____ Sisak reported from New York.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Epstein files: AG Pam Bondi sends letter to Kash Patel accusing FBI of withholding docs
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi discusses when the Jeffrey Epstein files will be released and more on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’
Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a fiery letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday accusing federal investigators in New York of withholding thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents she has vowed to make public.
Bondi said she had requested the full Epstein case file before Patel was confirmed as the head of the FBI and received about 200 pages of files — far less than the number of pages released last year in a civil lawsuit connected to Ghislaine Maxwell, the trafficker’s former lover and convicted accomplice.
“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,” Bondi wrote. “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.”
TRUMP’S ELECTION COULD EXPOSE NAMES IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S ‘BLACK BOOK’
Jeffrey Epstein poses in front of his fleet of private jets in an undated photograph. This photo was one of many unearthed during Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial in the Southern District of New York, where she was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for working with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. (U.S. Department of Justice/Mega)
She said the FBI had never disclosed the existence of those files and demanded they be turned over by Friday morning.
“By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained,” Bondi wrote. “There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.”
Read the letter:
The FBI, which is currently embroiled in a lawsuit alleging it failed to properly investigate credible allegations against Epstein decades ago, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But Patel, the new director, wrote on X that the bureau is primed for “a new era.”
“There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued,” he wrote. “If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be.”
EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST RELEASE COULD BE IMMINENT
In a statement released later Thursday evening, Bondi’s office said the attorney general had asked the FBI for “the full and complete” Epstein files. She got 200 pages and said she later learned there were thousands of additional pages that had not been disclosed. She demanded them delivered to her office by Friday morning.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference regarding immigration enforcement at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 12. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Sensitive information about the victims will still be redacted before anything is publicly released, she added. She also ordered an internal investigation into the issue and told Patel to propose “personnel action” within two weeks.
Bondi said previously that a batch of Epstein-related documents would be released sometime Thursday afternoon.
Instagram influencer Rogan O’Handley (@dc_draino) was seen displaying the declassified binder of Jeffrey Epstein files. (Fox News)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It was not expected to contain much new information, however.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2025 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
‘Phase 1’ of declassified Epstein files expected to be released Thursday
Related Topics
Recommended
True Crime
Winsome Sears says it’s a ‘shame’ liberal counties are protecting illegal immigrants over Virginians
Dems are attacking Elon Musk while they drive his Teslas, says Kevin McCarthy
Tom Homan: Boston can help illegal migrant crisis or ‘get the hell out of the way’
Laura Ingraham looks at everyday life in Guantanamo Bay
First tranche of Epstein files released
Police investigate stabbing near UVA campus
A Russia-Ukraine deal must be ‘lasting,’ says UK Prime Minister Starmer
Former Las Vegas police officer unpacks ‘suspicious’ deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife
Trans vegan cult charged with six murders
Americans are ‘entitled’ to these details about Jeffrey Epstein, attorney says
Eighth-grade MN athlete standing up to ‘bullying’ in girls’ sports, supports bill to keep biological men out
‘Gross mismanagement’: Taxpayers funded $1.6B healthcare for illegal immigrants in Illinois, audit shows
Andrew Tate delivers first remarks on US soil after sex trafficking case overseas
Investigation into Gene Hackman’s death must be ‘very thorough’: Expert
Pro-Israel influencer says Bibas memorial in NYC ‘brought out the worst in a lot of antisemites’
Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore criticizes Trump’s migrant deportation flights
Parents continuing fight after federal court dismisses lawsuit over school gender identity policy, lawyer says
Bezos reining in Washington Post opinion page from ‘absurd lunacy’ of recent years, Charlie Hurt says
NYPD chief blasts blue state’s ‘revolving door’ system for repeatedly releasing violent criminals
American tourist vanishes in Thailand while jet skiing: report
AG Pam Bondi reveals Epstein files info should be released ‘tomorrow’
U.S.
Politics
World
Opinion
Media
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Deals
FOX Business
Science & Tech
Games
Watch Live
About
Apps & Products
Axios
Search
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Photo: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty
The Department of Justice released more than 100 pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday. The documents released by Attorney General Pam Bondi include flight logs, a redacted contact book and masseuse list and an evidence list.
Zoom out: The Trump administration is moving to release documents in a range of high-profile cases, such as the JFK assassination.
Bondi is facing scrutiny as to why the documents did not include more new information and has blamed the FBI.
Zoom in: Read the documents Bondi released in the files below.
Editor’s note: This file has been updated with additional documents.
Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Trump administration gave an exclusive briefing Thursday to more than a dozen conservative influencers about files it plans to make public about the late financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Why it matters: The meeting illustrated how the Trump administration is circumventing the mainstream media and instead working with pro-MAGA social media figures to release information.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
The FBI just discovered about 2,400 records tied to President Kennedy’s assassination that were never provided to a board tasked with reviewing and disclosing the documents, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The discovery — 61 years after Kennedy was killed in Dallas — follows decades of government reluctance to release all documents related to the assassination, which fueled a mountain of conspiracy theories.
Copyright Axios Media, 2024
