The Trump-Epstein question that put the White House "in a tizzy"
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President Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trump quickly dismissed a reporter's question Tuesday about whether Attorney General Pam Bondi had told him he was in the sex trafficker's files.
- But Trump's relatively calm reaction stood in stark contrast to what happened inside the White House last week when a similar media inquiry put Trump's staff "in a tizzy" — and helped fuel mistrust between the Department of Justice and the FBI.
Why it matters: The fallout over the Epstein case continues to haunt Trump's team, 10 days after DOJ's about-face announcement that it wouldn't disclose any more details about Epstein, that he had no client list, and that he'd killed himself in prison and wasn't murdered.
- That angered Trump's MAGA loyalists who — thanks in part to Trump and his aides — had been convinced the president would reveal all about Epstein and his alleged cabal of powerful pedophiles. Suddenly long-held conspiracy theories were fueled by new disappointment.
Inside the room: The blowback over DOJ's decision led to an intense shouting match in the White House last week between Bondi and the FBI's deputy director, Dan Bongino, as Axios first reported.
- Unreported until now: After the Bondi-Bongino blowout, a reporter asked whether Bondi had informed Trump that his name was in the Epstein files. Trump has long denied wrongdoing in the case and no evidence has emerged indicating otherwise, but he was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.
- The question alarmed White House and DOJ personnel about the appearance that the administration had shut down the release of more Epstein information to protect Trump from embarrassing disclosures. Speculation about that swept across some cable news channels.
- "It put people in a tizzy," a source familiar with the discussions told Axios.
The story didn't run. But on Tuesday, a reporter publicly asked Trump about the rumor that Bondi had told him his name was in Epstein's files.
- "No, no. She's given us just a very quick briefing," Trump said at the White House, calling the Epstein files a non-story, old news and even "fake news."
- Trump quickly pivoted to his new and baseless conspiracy theory: Fake information was inserted into the files by Presidents Biden and Obama — along with former FBI director James Comey, whom he blames for what he calls "the Russia hoax."
Trump repeated the wild claim later, at Joint Base Andrews, after another reporter asked Trump why his MAGA supporters are so keenly interested in the Epstein story and want more disclosure.
- "Anything that's credible, let them have it," Trump said of releasing more Epstein information.
Between the lines: Trump said the decision to release more information rests with Bondi. But insiders say her every move on Epstein has been in accordance with what the president wants, and what she thinks he wants.
- Bondi has come under withering assault from the online right and conservative influencers for over-promising Epstein disclosures months ago, then vastly under-delivering on that pledge. Trump says he stands by Bondi and her decisions.
- Bondi said Tuesday when asked about calls for her resignation: "I'm going to be here for as long as the president wants me to be here."
- As for more disclosures, she said: "Today our memo speaks for itself, and we will get back to you about anything else."
The intrigue: In saying "today," Bondi left open the possibility she may change her mind.
- Administration officials and Trump advisers are pushing for three possible course corrections for more disclosures, as Axios first reported Monday.
- Bondi declined to elaborate on her relationship with Bongino, who as a private citizen helped promote Epstein conspiracy theories. The two clashed Wednesday in the White House hours after a NewsNation article, citing a source, said Bongino and FBI director Kash Patel had been held back from disclosing more information.
- Bongino and Patel denied the allegation. But a source said "Dan blew his stack" and stormed out after his shouting match with Bondi.
The next day, the White House and DOJ fielded the question about whether Bondi told Trump he was in the Epstein files.
- "It didn't look like a coincidence at that point," an administration source said, adding that "there's no there there" when it comes to major Epstein files revelations.
- "We think this is going to burn out. But not yet."
The big picture: The behind-the-scenes anxiety within the administration underscores the sensitivities of the case. Staffers don't believe Trump is portrayed badly in the files, but they know the story irks him.
- "Pissed off Trump is no fun for anyone," said an outside Trump adviser who's in frequent contact with administration officials. "The president wants to talk about his accomplishments. This isn't that."
