All the unanswered questions about the Trump administration’s Epstein files chaos
The furore over the Jeffrey Epstein files still rumbles on, with no sign of the drama going away anytime soon for the Trump administration.
Even long-time supporters of Trump like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk have seemingly turned against the president for his handling of the notorious Epstein files.
Trump has been promising to release a so-called Epstein 'client list' of names for years, however Attorney General Pam Bondi's department recently said there was no evidence of such a list existing.
Disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Epstein was found dead by suicide in his prison cell in New York in 2019, sparking years of conspiracy theories ever since about the circumstances surrounding his death and the ensuing investigation.
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Here are some of the questions critics are now asking amid the 'client list' chaos.
Why aren't the full Epstein files being released?
One of the biggest questions critics have is the whereabouts and details of the so-called Epstein 'list'.
Mike Johnson, speaker of the House, has called again this week for the Department of Justice to release the documents surrounding the Epstein case.
This apparent list has been talked about for years, and is claimed to be a little black book of names of everyone who were 'clients' of Epstein and visited his private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Dubbed 'Epstein's Island', it is alleged human trafficking and sex offences took place there, and it is claimed the list would name everyone from politicians to celebrities.
There have been several alleged 'leaks' of the list naming names, but the Department of Justice has come out and said the list doesn't exist.
The rest of the files are believed to consist of thousands of videos and photos of Epstein's crimes, which the FBI is still examining, having previously examined 300 gigabytes of data.
What happened to Pam Bondi's claim about the Epstein list?
Back in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked on Fox News about the rumoured Epstein list.
She replied: "It's sitting on my desk right now to review."
However, the Department of Justice and FBI released a two-page memo earlier this month which claimed there is no 'incriminating list' of clients and 'no credible evidence' of blackmail from Epstein.
Footage was also released to support the verdict that Epstein died by suicide while being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
A spokesperson for Bondi has since walked her statements back, saying her comments referred to a generic 'file' about the case, and not a 'list' specifically.
Bondi refused to answer questions about the case during a press conference about fentanyl deaths this week, replying: "Nothing about Epstein, I'm not going to talk about Epstein."
She also previously said there were 'thousands' of videos of 'child porn' which are 'never going to be released'.
What has Trump said about the Epstein list?
Earlier this week, Trump said it would be up to Bondi to decide what she wanted to do: "She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her.
"Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release."
He called the ongoing questioning and calls for the list 'sordid but boring,' going on to claim 'only really bad people, including the fake news, want to keep something like this going.'
During his election campaign, Trump had repeatedly said he would release the Epstein files.
On June 2, 2024, Trump was asked on Fox News if he would declassify them.
He replied: "Yeah, yeah I would. I guess I would.... You don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff."
On 2 September, Lex Fridman said "The list of clients that went to the island has not been made public," and Trump responded: "Yeah, it's - it's very interesting isn't it? Probably will be, by the way."
What will happen to Ghislaine Maxwell?
Ghislaine Maxwell was regarded as Epstein’s ‘right hand woman’ for many years, and is currently serving 20 years behind bars for sex trafficking.
Her family are arguing that she didn't receive a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case.
An agreement Epstein made with the Department of Justice in 2007 is being re-examined, and it apparently said the Department of Justice wouldn't prosecute his co-conspirators after he 'paid fines, paid victims millions of dollars and served 13 months in prison.'
The deal only applied in Florida, but Maxwell was put on trial in New York.
What's happening with Elon Musk and Donald Trump over his Epstein claims?
Trump fans were stunned when longtime friend and supporter Elon Musk seemingly turned on the president in a series of posts on Twitter, which he later deleted, after writing: "Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files," he tweeted in June.
"That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!"
Now, Musk has hit out at the president again after Trump asked what was going on with his supporters questioning him.
"What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’," Trump wrote.
“They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!", adding he doesn't 'like what's happening'
“We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,” said Trump.
Musk has now mocked Trump's words, sharing a post where someone had called it 'the worst post ever', replying: “He said ‘Epstein’ half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein.
“Just release the files as promised.”
Topics: Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Politics, Elon Musk
Jen Thomas