Justice Department Confirms: No Jeffrey Epstein Client List Exists!

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a client list, the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.

The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represents a significant reversal of a theory promoted by the Trump administration. Earlier this year, Bondi suggested in a Fox News interview that such a document was “sitting on my desk for review.”

While releasing video footage from inside a New York jail to definitively prove that Epstein died by suicide, the department also stated in a memo that it would not disclose other evidence collected by investigators. For weeks, Bondi had hinted that more material would be revealed, claiming, “It’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public.” This followed an initial document release that disappointed President Donald Trump’s supporters by failing to provide the anticipated revelations.

The incident, in which far-right influencers were invited to the White House in February and given binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” containing mostly already public documents, has led conservative internet personalities to sharply criticize Bondi.

After the first release fell short of expectations, Bondi claimed officials were reviewing a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence allegedly handed over by the FBI. In a March TV interview, she accused the Biden administration of sitting on these documents, adding, “Sadly these people don’t believe in transparency, but I think more unfortunately, I think a lot of them don’t believe in honesty.”

However, after a months-long review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” according to the memo. The department noted that much of the material was sealed by a court to protect victims and only a fraction of it would have been made public had Epstein gone to trial.

“One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” the memo states. “Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”

The two-page memo bore the logos of the Justice Department and the FBI but was not signed by any individual official.

Conservatives seeking proof of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities and death expressed outrage Monday over the department’s position. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted, “We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be.”

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote that next the DOJ will say “Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed,” calling it “over the top sickening.” Elon Musk shared a series of photos of a clown applying makeup, apparently mocking Bondi for saying the client list doesn’t exist after suggesting months ago that it was on her desk.

The client list controversy began when Bondi was asked in a Fox News interview whether the department would release such a document.

She replied: “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin clarified Monday that Bondi was referring to the overall Epstein case files.

Among the evidence that the Justice Department said Monday it has in its possession, and will not be releasing, are images of Epstein, images and videos of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors, and more than 10,000 downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography.

The memo does not explain when or where the videos were located, who and what they depict, or whether they were newly discovered as investigators examined their collection of evidence or had been known to be in the government’s possession for some time.

The Associated Press published a story last week about unanswered questions surrounding possible video evidence after Bondi cited the existence of “tens of thousands of videos” that she said showed Epstein with children or child porn.

Multiple people involved in the criminal cases of Epstein and socialite former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told AP that they had not seen and were not aware of a trove of recordings as described by Bondi. Indictments and detention memos also don’t allege the existence of video recordings, and neither Epstein nor Maxwell were charged with possession of child sex abuse material, even though that would have been easier for prosecutors to prove than the sex trafficking counts they faced.

The AP did find reference in a filing in a civil lawsuit to the discovery by the Epstein estate of videos and pictures that could constitute child sex abuse material. However, lawyers involved in that case said a protective order prevents them from learning the specifics of that evidence, and the Justice Department did not respond to a detailed list of questions from AP about the videos Bondi mentioned.

Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, in a suicide that precluded the possibility of a trial.

The department’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation, even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion.

In November 2019, for instance, then-Attorney General William Barr told the AP that he had reviewed security footage that showed no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died, and expressed confidence that Epstein’s death was a suicide.

More recently, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have insisted in television and podcast interviews that the evidence clearly indicates Epstein killed himself.