A new review of the Jeffrey Epstein case is causing turmoil inside the Justice Department, with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino now at odds, according to multiple reports.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Bongino didn’t show up to work on Friday after having a heated discussion with Bondi earlier in the week regarding her handling of the case, CBS News reported.
One FBI source called his absence a “pressing issue” for the bureau.
The conflict comes after days of fallout over a Justice Department and FBI memo on Epstein, which claimed he died by suicide and that there was no “client list” or evidence of blackmailing powerful individuals.
Sources said Bondi and Bongino clashed during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday over how the Epstein findings were rolled out.
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White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was also in the meeting, which was first reported by Axios. Two sources told CBS News that Bongino is considering resigning because of the backlash.
A source familiar with the meeting said President Trump hasn’t lost confidence in anyone, but there’s frustration over how Bongino handled the fallout. “He’s certainly not helping,” the source said.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields pushed back on the reported conflict, however. “Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all,” Fields said.
“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims,” he added. “This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also weighed in. He wrote on X that both the FBI and DOJ approved the Epstein memo and that “the suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”
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The Trump administration’s internal review found that Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in custody at a Manhattan detention facility. He had been facing federal sex trafficking charges. The investigation was conducted by the DOJ’s inspector general and the FBI.
This week’s memo said the FBI reviewed video that showed Epstein was locked in his cell and that no one entered the unit at the time of his death. Investigators also said they found no evidence to support charges against any uncharged third parties.
The memo stated there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” and “no credible evidence” that Epstein blackmailed anyone, though for months, Bondi maintained in interviews that she was in possession of such evidence and that the FBI was carefully combing through it before release to protect alleged victims.
Files related to Epstein’s case and his death have fueled conspiracy theories for years, with many Americans convinced the government was hiding details to protect powerful people. That includes Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The DOJ memo, which rejected those claims, sparked frustration among some Trump supporters who demanded more transparency. Some also pointed out that one minute appeared to be missing from the jail video. Bondi explained the footage glitch by saying the jail’s outdated security system shuts off for one minute each night.
Earlier this year, Bondi and the FBI pledged to release Epstein-related records after Trump returned to the White House. During a Fox News interview in February, Bondi said a “client list” was sitting on her desk. But this week, she clarified during a Cabinet meeting that she meant Epstein files more generally, not a specific list of names.
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Back in February, 15 conservative influencers visited the White House and were each handed binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.”
They said the binders came directly from Bondi during a meeting that included President Trump, Patel, and Vice President JD Vance. But the influencers said the materials didn’t reveal much that they hadn’t already seen.
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