The Trump Administration’s handling of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s case is opening divides among Republican lawmakers, officials, and right-wing media figures as the President confronts a wave of backlash from his MAGA supporters.
A memo released by the Department of Justice and FBI that denies the existence of an Epstein “client list” and states that he died by suicide, aiming to put to bed conspiracies surrounding the disgraced financier harbored by those on the right, has sparked widespread outcry from President Donald Trump’s MAGA base.
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“I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday, speaking of public interest in Epstein. “The credible information’s been given.”
Amid the blowback, Trump allies from House Speaker Mike Johnson to right-wing activist Laura Loomer have broken with the Administration over its handling of the issue, while some other conservatives have voiced support—or sought to avoid the controversy.
Prominent voices on the right clash with the Trump Administration
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, an outspoken MAGA voice in Congress, told CNN that the Trump Administration’s mishandling of files related to Epstein’s case, which Trump pledged to release during his 2024 campaign, is “just a red line that it crosses for many people.”
“This is something that’s been talked about by many people serving in the Administration, myself and many others on the right and the left of there needing to be transparency of the rich and powerful elites,” she added. Conspiracy theories about Epstein’s case were previously promoted by multiple high-ranking members of the Administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance and FBI Director Kash Patel. Over the weekend, however, Patel said in a post on X that “the conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been.”
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told NBC News that he understands the public intrigue surrounding Epstein, “who he trafficked those women to and why they weren’t prosecuted.”
“I think the Justice Department is going to have to go back to the drawing board in answering those questions,” he said.
Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told The Hill he “would just like the files to be turned over.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, another outspoken MAGA lawmaker, on Tuesday called for the appointment of a special counsel in the matter, floating former Rep. Matt Gaetz for the role. “We deserve the truth about the Epstein Files,” she wrote in a post on X. “I’m ready for a Special Counsel to handle this.”
Right-wing media commentators have also contributed to the blowback. “The fact that the U.S. government, the one that I voted for, refused to take my question seriously and instead said, ‘Case closed, shut up conspiracy theorist,’ was too much for me,” right-wing commentator and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said in a speech at Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday.
Far-right activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer warned that the “lack of transparency” would cost Republicans House and Senate seats in a post on X. In an interview with Politico, Loomer called for a special counsel to “independently investigate the handling of the Epstein files.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced particular ire. Bondi in February stated that Epstein’s alleged “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” The same month, the Justice Department released a cache of files related to Epstein’s case that were heavily redacted and mostly consisted of information that had previously been made public despite Bondi’s promises that the documents would include flight logs and the names of people involved, leaving many underwhelmed.
Following the release of the memo last week, Bondi said that she had been referring to the case file on Epstein in the February interview as opposed to a “client list.”
Trump defended Bondi, writing in a Truth Social post earlier this week that the Attorney General “is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” But others on the right have voiced a much more critical sentiment.
After initially saying he trusted the Administration to make the “right decision,” House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Bondi to “come forward and explain” what happened with the Epstein “client list” in an interview with youtuber Benny Johnson. “I’m for transparency,” the House lawmaker said. “It’s a very delicate subject but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it.” Still, he opposed Democratic efforts to release files related to Epstein.
“I’m sure it’s a relief for Pam Bondi to hear the president is still in her corner. Unfortunately, huge swaths of the party are not,” conservative commentator Megyn Kelly wrote on X. “She repeatedly misled on Epstein. Then didn’t have the courage to explain herself. Suddenly, she’s camera shy & no Qs allowed. Good luck!”
Carlson blamed Bondi for the backlash facing the Trump Administration in an NBC News interview published earlier this week.
Saying he now thinks the Justice Department doesn’t have “much relevant information about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes,” Carlson told the outlet, “Rather than just admit that, Pam Bondi made a bunch of ludicrous claims on cable news shows that she couldn’t back up, and this current outrage is the result.”
Inside the department, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who previously promoted conspiracy theories about a government coverup related to Epstein’s case, has reportedly had a falling out with Bondi over the issue and threatened to quit.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has clashed with Trump on issues from Iran to the President’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” on Tuesday announced he was launching an effort to force a vote on the release of files related to Epstein’s case alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California with a procedural tool known as a discharge petition.
“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes,” Massie said in a statement, adding, “If your Representative won’t sign the discharge petition, ask why.”
Some GOP members of Congress voice support—or dodge the issue
Still, some Republican lawmakers, including Chuck Grassley of Iowa, have made public statements in support of Administration officials or are backing off from making any strong comments about the issue at all. Grassley said that based on what he knows he does believe Bondi provided enough information about Epstein, though he told The Hill that he “always urge[s] the greatest of transparency.”
Sen. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a strong Trump ally, told NBC News he trusted the President and his team. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. John Cornyn echoed the sentiment by deferring to Trump on the matter.
Rep. Darrell Issa of California spoke more strongly in support of Trump, saying that much of what his base believes about the case simply isn’t true.
“I trust the people who reported it to us and who looked at them,” Issa said.
As a number of Republican lawmakers have looked to avoid the controversy, Democratic lawmakers have sought to take advantage of it by forcing their GOP colleagues to show their cards.
Rep. Khanna introduced an amendment to a cryptocurrency bill that would have required Bondi to release the Epstein files. “This is a question of whose side are you on?” Khanna said on the House floor on Monday.
Most of the Republicans on the House Rules Committee—Reps. Virginia Foxx, Michelle Fischbach, Erin Houchin, Nicholas Langworthy, Austin Scott, Morgan Griffith, and Brian Jack—voted to block the amendment. Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina was the sole Republican on the panel to vote to advance it for the consideration of the full House. Rep. Chip Roy did not vote.
Langworthy defended his vote by saying that Democrats politicized the amendment. “He voted no because it was a pointless political gimmick, not a path to justice,” a spokesperson from Langworthy’s office told ABC News 10.
“I think most of us believe what’s appropriate will be released when it is time for the president to release it,” said Foxx, who chairs the committee.
A similar move by Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland last week won more Republican support, however. Van Hollen introduced an amendment to a funding bill before the Senate Appropriations Committee that would force the Justice Department to retain Epstein files, and provide a report to Congress on the history of the case. The committee approved it unanimously with bipartisan support.