Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi mentioned that the FBI was caught withholding some information.
New FBI Director Kash Patel vowed for full transparency on Thursday amid criticism of the legislation enforcement bureau over the way it dealt with turning over information on notorious little one intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
A letter was despatched by U.S. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi to Patel wherein she mentioned that an official advised her on Wednesday that she hadn’t obtained all of the Epstein information regardless of assurances that every one of them had been despatched to her workplace.
It got here after a small batch of paperwork included copies of flight logs from Epstein’s non-public airplane, which have lengthy been out there in a number of courtroom instances, and a closely redacted photocopy of an handle e-book purportedly compiled by Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, which has been cited in media accounts for a few years.
The Justice Division additionally launched a blacked-out listing of masseuses and an proof listing exhibiting entries for greater than 150 objects, together with nude photographs, therapeutic massage tables, and different objects. There was no indication as as to if the listing was from Epstein’s case, Maxwell’s case, or another investigation.
On Thursday night, Patel appeared to reply to Bondi’s letter and criticism about how the company is dealing with the information, though he didn’t make particular reference to Epstein information. As an alternative, he mentioned that there shall be “no cover-ups” or “missing documents.”
“The FBI is entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned—and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued,” he wrote on X.
“If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be. The oath we take is to the Constitution, and under my leadership, that promise will be upheld without compromise.”
The Epoch Occasions contacted the FBI for touch upon Friday.
Bondi wrote in her Thursday letter to Patel that extra information had been just lately found. She ordered the FBI at hand over “the full and complete Epstein files” to her by Friday morning, and directed Patel to “conduct an immediate investigation” into why her order to the FBI to show over all paperwork was not adopted.
President Donald Trump, who was in workplace when Epstein was arrested and later discovered lifeless in a jail cell in 2019, recommended whereas campaigning final 12 months that he’d search to open up the federal government’s information.
Epstein was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage women within the early 2000s however wound up serving simply 13 months in jail after he was discovered lifeless in his cell. He was indicted on federal expenses in New York in 2019, greater than a decade after he secretly struck a cope with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of comparable expenses of intercourse trafficking.
His case has drawn important on-line and media consideration as a result of his relationships with high-profile celebrities, enterprise officers, politicians, and different luminaries.
Earlier Thursday, a handful of conservative influencers had been seen with alleged copies of the Epstein information in photographs posted on social media. Amongst these seen holding the binders was commentator Rogan O’Handley, often called DC Draino on-line, in addition to commentators Mike Cernovich, Jack Posobiec, Liz Wheeler, Libs of TikTok, and others.
Some conservative commentators expressed disappointment with the discharge of the information on Thursday. For instance, Raheem Kassam, an editor with the Nationwide Pulse, wrote that “it is embarrassing for the White House, the vast majority of which is unlikely to have had any eyes on the documents handed to social media influencers who believed they were attending a simple series of policy briefings today.”
Amongst elected officers, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote on X that the rollout of the information was inadequate.
“GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!” Luna wrote in a put up Thursday.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
In the event you discovered this text attention-grabbing, please take into account supporting conventional journalism
Our first version was revealed 25 years in the past from a basement in Atlanta. At this time, The Epoch Occasions brings fact-based, award-winning journalism to thousands and thousands of Individuals.
Our journalists have been threatened, arrested, and assaulted, however our dedication to impartial journalism has by no means wavered. This 12 months marks our twenty fifth 12 months of impartial reporting, free from company and political affect.
That’s why you’re invited to a limited-time introductory provide — simply $1 per week — so you’ll be able to be a part of thousands and thousands already celebrating impartial information.
