Some conservatives are calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after indicating earlier this year that she had the so-called “Epstein List” on her desk.
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Bondi did not literally mean what she said.
Axios reported Sunday that a Department of Justice and FBI memorandum recently revealed there was “no incriminating ‘client list.’”
In February, shortly after being confirmed as attorney general, Fox News host John Roberts asked Bondi, “The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. Will that really happen?”
“It’s sitting right now on my desk to review,” she responded.
“That’s been a directive by President [Donald] Trump,” Bondi continued. “I’m reviewing that. I’m reviewing JFK files, MLK files. That’s all in the process of being reviewed, because that was done at the directive of the president [regarding] all of these agencies.
Roberts followed up, wondering if she had seen anything that prompted her to say, “Oh, my gosh.”
“Not yet,” she answered.
Q: “The DOJ will release the List of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients?”
Pam Bondi: “It’s on my desk right now.” pic.twitter.com/CgUXnqjEjs
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) July 7, 2025
Do you believe Karoline Leavitt’s explanation?
On Monday, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy questioned Leavitt, “So what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on her desk?”
“Well, I think if you go back and look at what the attorney general said in that interview which was on your network, on Fox News,” Leavitt began.
“I’ve got the quote,” Doocy interjected, then read Roberts’ exact question and Bondi’s response.
“Yes, she was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. That’s what the attorney general was referring to,” Leavitt said.
Reporter: “What happened to the Epstein Client List that the AG said she had on her desk?”
Press Sec: “She was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork is relation to Epstein’s crimes. That’s what she was referring to.” pic.twitter.com/KDzOmxGlFe
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 7, 2025
Leavitt’s reply seemed reasonable, given Bondi not only mentioned Epstein materials, but also talked about reviewing the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. files.
Further, someone saying something is “On my desk” is another way of saying, “It’s on my to-do list,” which appeared to be the context here.
Newsweek reported that Epstein died in his cell weeks after being taken into custody in 2019 on sex trafficking charges. He had previously been convicted in 2008 in Florida on one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Because of his high-profile relationships, including those in government, many speculated that he was killed to keep him quiet.
A 2023 report by the DOJ concluded that Epstein “died by suicide on August 10, 2019, while in BOP [Federal Bureau of Prisons] custody” but still found “numerous and serious failures” by staff at Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York, where he was being held, including a lack of functioning video surveillance cameras in his cell area, according to Newsweek.
Multiple conservative media personalities argued, in part based on Leavitt’s response, that Bondi should be fired for seemingly lying about an Epstein list.
Robby Starbuck posted on X, “Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago. Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list. Sorry but this is unacceptable. Was she lying then or is she lying now?”
Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago. Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list.
Sorry but this is unacceptable.
Was she lying then or is she lying now?
We deserve answers. pic.twitter.com/VcBSLsCLtl
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 7, 2025
Turning Point USA correspondent Savanah Hernandez wrote, “Why did Pam Bondi get in front of the entire nation and say she had the Epstein client list on her desk? She should step down as Attorney General for lying to the American public.”
Why did Pam Bondi get in front of the entire nation and say she had the Epstein client list on her desk?
She should step down as Attorney General for lying to the American public.
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) July 7, 2025
And Liz Wheeler told Glenn Beck, “If I’m President Trump, I would not tolerate this behavior anymore. She [Bondi] has become a liability to his administration.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
