Attorney General Pam Bondi handed over to Congress thousands of pages related to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In response to criticism over her management of the Epstein files review, Bondi provided the House Oversight Committee with the initial batch of documents on Friday, as a spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail, aiming to enhance transparency.
Committee Chairman James Comer plans to make the documents public after review and redaction.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump stated that he instructed Bondi to hand everything over to Congress, asserting that it would demonstrate the Epstein affair is a ‘Democrat hoax.’
He warned that some individuals named in the documents ‘shouldn’t be’ there, mentioning that Epstein was acquainted with ‘everyone’ in Trump’s hometown of Palm Beach, Florida.
This comment triggered concerns among those worried that Trump might be blocking the documents’ release, suspecting that he and his associates are mentioned more extensively than just an occasional trip on Epstein’s private jet, the Lolita Express.
Many MAGA supporters online suspect a ‘cover-up’ is underway and have directed their frustration at Bondi, demanding her removal for alleged lack of transparency.
Trump has defended Bondi, urging his supporters to accept the conclusion that disgraced financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and no further charges will be brought related to his crimes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi handed over to Congress thousands of pages of documents from the Epstein files
From the White House on Friday, Trump told reporters when asked about the files being made public: ‘Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt, but I’m in support of keeping it totally open… You’ve got a lot of people who could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be. Because he knew everybody in Palm Beach’
Trump associated with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the 1980s and 1990s – his name even appears on flight logs for the disgraced financier’s private plane the Lolita Express
But his base wouldn’t accept that and pushed for more.
‘Innocent people shouldn’t be hurt – but I’m in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn’t care less,’ Trump said in a Q&A from the Oval Office on Friday.
‘You’ve got a lot of people who could be mentioned in those files that don’t deserve to be,’ he went on. ‘Because he [Epstein] knew everybody in Palm Beach. I don’t know anything about that.’
Trump concluded: ‘I have said to Pam [Bondi] and everybody else: give them everything you can give them because it’s a Democrat hoax. It’s just a hoax.’
Comer, R-Ky, is leading the House probe into Epstein in his capacity as chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
A spokesperson for the panel revealed to the Daily Mail: ‘The House Oversight Committee has received the Department of Justice’s first production of Epstein records pursuant to Chairman James Comer’s subpoena.
‘The production contains thousands of pages of documents,’ they added.
While the documents are expected to include never-before-seen materials related to the New York financier’s 2019 federal sex trafficking investigation, the spokesperson acknowledged they will be redacted to protect sensitive information and the identities of his victims.
‘The Committee intends to make these records public after thorough review to ensure any victims’ identification and child sexual abuse material are redacted. The Committee will also consult with the DOJ to ensure any documents released do not negatively impact ongoing criminal cases and investigations.’
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer plans to review the documents for any required redactions and then prepare them for release to the public, a spokesperson for the committee told the Daily Mail
The redaction, however, could further enrage Trump’s supporters, who have been clamoring for the files to be released in their entirety to avoid the appearance of a cover-up.
‘There are many records in DOJ’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted,’ Comer said in a statement in anticipation of receiving the documents.
He initially subpoenaed the DOJ for the Epstein files on August 5 with a timeline of August 19.
The chairman later extended the deadline to turn over the documents until Friday, August 22.
