Maybe the real Epstein Files were all the friends we made along the way … or something.
As for the supposed trove of material that Pam Bondi and Kash Patel claimed to be reviewing, it turns out to be nothing not already known or released. Axios ‘obtained’ an FBI memo that reports no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein kept a client list, nor any evidence that he blackmailed those participating in his sex trafficking of minors. Furthermore, a detailed review of jail video has led the FBI to firmly conclude that Epstein did indeed kill himself while in custody:
According to the memo, investigators closely examined footage of Epstein’s Manhattan prison cell between around 10:40pm on Aug. 9, 2019, when Epstein was locked in his cell, and around 6:30am the next day, when he was found unresponsive.
- The footage, which was reviewed by Axios but couldn’t be verified independently, showed no one entering the area, the administration said.
- “The FBI enhanced the relevant footage by increasing its contrast, balancing the color, and improving its sharpness for greater clarity and viewability,” the memo says.
- Investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list’ ” of Epstein’s, “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals,” and no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the memo adds.
Both Patel and FBI deputy director Dan Bongino have previously disclosed that conclusion. The lack of anything new in the so-called Epstein Files has been similarly exposed, but not conceded before now by the FBI. The memo that Axios published seems very clearly oriented for public release, so their use of the word ‘obtained’ to explain its provenance seems a little too cute. It may be a leak, but if so, it’s only a day or two behind an official release. There’s even a link within it for the public to view some of the videos, although again, they won’t show anything not already known about the case.
The memo declares that no one else will get charged in the Epstein trafficking ring. That in itself will raise some eyebrows, since there seems to be little chance that Epstein could have run this ring without a significant amount of help, even apart from Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s already doing twenty years in federal prison. And while the memo does claim that the FBI did have “a large volume” of images and video in its Epstein ‘files,’ it turns out that nearly everything in it was either “subject to court-ordered sealing” to protect victims, or too pornographic for release.
“Through this review,” the FBI declares in its memo, “we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography.” If that’s the case, then someone at the Department of Justice and/or the White House needs to explain this scene:
Feb 21, 2025: Bondi says Epstein files are on her desk, under review per Trump’s directive.
Feb 26: Announces files, including flight logs and names, to be released Feb 27, cites victim privacy for delays.
Feb 27: Releases “Phase 1” files (200+ pages, mostly public), hands… pic.twitter.com/QYw8IYkgKj
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) July 7, 2025
Click to expand the full timeline, but by February 27, we knew this would be a bust. As I wrote at the time:
One of the most important rules in politics is: Don’t set expectations you can’t meet. But even before that, there’s this: make sure you have the goods you claim before, y’know, making a big deal about releasing them.
The embarrassment still isn’t fatal, but it was entirely avoidable, and it resulted from an attempt to curry favor with ‘influencers’ rather than take a more serious approach to the Epstein case. All Bondi needed to do at first was order a full review of all materials, perhaps with a bit more transparency and cooperation than in the previous administration. Instead, she and Patel showboated and ended up looking foolish. Let’s hope this is a lesson learned by all.
Addendum: Maybe Axios ‘obtained’ this in some other way?
LINK: https://t.co/jCnsj74qp1
Compare the leaked memo to that of official documents. Consider the formats coupled with the reliability of the media outlets.
Don’t trust the government…but do you trust the media at their word? pic.twitter.com/rMgoEyyhqv
— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) July 7, 2025
It could be a working draft rather than a finished product. (As of 8:30 am ET, the document was still accessible at both Axios and on Document Cloud.) If that’s the case, then this could well be a strategic leak to get the ridicule out of the way, although that kind of action should have taken place on Thursday night to take advantage of the holiday weekend. Given the lack of any action by the FBI on the case over the last few months, though, the real surprise would be if they actually had anything like a client list or evidence of murder in Epstein’s death.
