The first batch of declassified files reportedly contains little new information
Attorney General Pam Bondi has accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation of withholding “thousands of pages” of documents related to the investigation of convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter addressed to the newly appointed FBI director, Kash Patel, Bondi demanded the immediate release of all pertinent files.
Earlier that day, the Department of Justice released a set of documents dubbed “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” to a select group of conservative influencers. Notable figures such as Libs of TikTok’s Chaya Raichik, journalist Jack Posobiec, pundit Liz Wheeler and conservative commentator Mike Cernovich were seen exiting the White House with binders labeled with the project’s title.
However, these documents were heavily redacted and contained mostly previously reported information. “We got the binder at noon… AG Bondi wanted to get out what they had, which wasn’t anything material,” Cernovich wrote in a post on X, adding that the FBI “held back the real information and AG Bondi directed Kash Patel to start kicking ass.”
Yes. I can confirm this. AG Pam Bondi released what she had in her possession for the sake of transparency.
Unfortunately some bad actors within SDNY and the FBI NYC field office with held documents.
Bondi’s letter to Patel on Thursday alleges that despite assurances by his predecerros at the FBI that her office had received the complete set of Epstein-related documents, a tip from an insider revealed the existence of additional undisclosed files. The initial batch provided to Bondi’s office reportedly comprised approximately 200 pages, including flight logs, contact information and victim identities, which according to the AG was already enough to “make you sick.”
“By 8:00am 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 in her letter to Patel. “There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.”
The limited release of the Epstein files has drawn criticism from Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who leads President Donald Trump’s newly established “declassification” task force. “This is not what we or the American people asked for. Get us the information we asked for instead of leaking old info to press,” Luna wrote on X in all caps.
President Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking office, mandating the release of the Epstein files along with classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
The Epstein case has drawn significant attention due to his extensive network of high-profile associates, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and numerous other celebrities and business leaders. Trump also personally knew Epstein but has denied ever visiting his private island, maintaining that he cut ties with him in the 1990s – years before the financier’s first arrest for soliciting prostitution in 2006 – and has vowed to declassify all files.
Raising concerns about the potential destruction of these sensitive documents, Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has proposed legislation aimed at preserving all non-public records related to Epstein. In a letter to Bondi on Wednesday, Ogles announced his intent to introduce the Preventing Epstein Documentation Obliteration Act, or the PEDO Act, following “reports that certain FBI agents are allegedly attempting to destroy critical records.”
