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If not Epstein's 'client list', what was on Pam Bondi’s desk? Karoline Leavitt tries to explain
Fox News' Peter Doocy asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “If there’s no Epstein client list, then what exactly was on Pam Bondi’s desk?”
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department and the FBI concluded that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not possess a “client list” and that there was no evidence he blackmailed powerful individuals, according to a memo obtained by Axios. The internal review also confirmed that Epstein died by suicide while in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in August 2019.
The two-page memo states that video surveillance reviewed by FBI investigators confirmed Epstein was locked in his cell and that no one entered his unit at the time of his death.
Investigators also "did not uncover evidence that could predicate any investigation against uncharged third parties," according to the memo. “This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list.' There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.”
Pam Bondi Slammed
The findings have sparked renewed scrutiny of Attorney General Pam Bondi over her past comments suggesting the existence of a client list.
In a February appearance on Fox News, Bondi claimed that an Epstein "client list" was sitting on her desk and would soon be made public. That same month, the Justice Department distributed binders marked “declassified” to far-right influencers at the White House. The documents were later found to contain mostly publicly available information.
Bondi later said she had been informed of thousands of pages of undisclosed documents and claimed to have ordered the FBI to release the “full and complete Epstein files.” In May, she said that the FBI was reviewing "tens of thousands of videos" allegedly showing Epstein “with children or child porn.”
Following the DOJ’s latest conclusions, Bondi faced backlash online, with critics accusing her of lying.
Karoline Leavitt Defends Pam Bondi
During a press briefing Monday, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Bondi’s previous statements.
He asked, "The report says there's no Epstein client list. So, what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on her desk?"
Leavitt defended Bondi, stating, "She was saying the entirety of all the paperwork in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes [was on her desk.] That's what the attorney general was referring to, and I'll let her speak for that.
She added, "Again, when it comes to the FBI and Department of Justice, they are more than committed to make sure bad people are put behind bars."
