Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday released government documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the much-ballyhooed release didn’t reveal any major bombshells or revelations the public didn’t already know.
The small batch of documents included copies of flight logs from Epstein’s private plane, which have long been available in multiple court cases, and a heavily redacted photocopy of an address book purportedly compiled by Epstein and his longtime confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell, which has been cited in media accounts for many years.
The Justice Department also released a blacked-out list of 254 masseuses and an evidence list showing entries for more than 150 items, including nude images, massage tables, sex toys and other items. Epstein was known to hire underage girls as masseuses and then encourage them to have sex with him and his clients.
Epstein, who was accused of preying on underage girls as young as 14, was found dead at the age of 66 in a jail cell at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019, before he could stand trial in Manhattan on sex-trafficking charges. The New York City medical examiner ruled his death a suicide, a conclusion also supported by the Justice Department.
And while Thursday’s release aims to show transparency among the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, many conservative figures, and even Bondi herself, have alleged the FBI are hiding the full case files.
For years, many have speculated the names of prominent figures involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking network have been kept secret. Conspiracy theorists also claim that Epstein did not kill himself in prison but, rather, he was killed to prevent names from leaking out.
(From L) Political commentator Rogan O’Handley, aka DC Draino, TikToker Chaya Raichik, commentator Liz Wheeler and U.S. conservative activist Scott Presler carry binders bearing the seal of the U.S. Justice Department reading “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” as they walk out of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 27, 2025.
Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images
Conservative circles want more
“GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on social media, calling the rollout a “complete disappointment.”
Bondi suggested in a Thursday letter to FBI Director Kash Patel that more records were recently discovered. She ordered the FBI to 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 turn over all documents was not followed.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) swears in Kash Patel as FBI director in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington D.C., On February 21, 2025.
Pedro Ugarte / AFP via Getty Images
Patel vowed in a post on X to ensure that all documents are provided to Justice Department leadership.
Get daily National news
“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,” he said.
Bondi acknowledged, though, that some information couldn’t be released to protect the identities of the victims. “The Department of Justice will ensure that any public disclosure of these files will be done in a manner to protect the privacy of victims and in accordance with the law,” she wrote.
Two senior Justice Department officials, speaking anonymously to NBC News, said so much information in the case has already been made public through trials and leaks that there isn’t much new information to be released.
One told the outlet that Bondi’s document release on Thursday was merely “a distraction” from other actions being undertaken by the Trump administration.
What we know about Thursday’s files
The information released this week comes from federal prosecutors’ case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend who is currently serving time in prison for helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.
While in prison awaiting trial, Epstein was already a convicted sex offender, having been found guilty in 2008 of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019.
Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images
Thursday’s release gave some additional insight into the financier’s personal life, listing numerous belongings seized by the FBI, including “1 vibrator, 3 buttplugs, 1 set of cuffs, 1 dildo, 1 leash, 1 box of condoms, 1 nurse cap, 1 stethoscope.” Agents also found “1 set of copper handcuffs,” a range of different-coloured massage tables, several sculptures and busts depicting naked women and multiple photos of Epstein with various girls.
Much of the material, including transcripts of victim interviews and old police reports, had already been publicly known. They included mentions of Trump, former president Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew and magician David Copperfield, as well as testimony from one victim who said she met Michael Jackson at Epstein’s Florida home, but nothing untoward happened with him.
There was also a list of the full flight logs of people who travelled to Epstein’s island on his private plane. However, the flight logs are not an indication of any wrongdoing for those listed, as Epstein often held social events and business meetings on the island, separate from his dealings and solicitations with underage girls.
What comes next
While Bondi has called for the full release of the Epstein investigation files, which Patel had promised would come Friday morning, the attorney general’s deadline has now passed and it is not immediately clear whether Bondi is now in possession of the extra files.
In her letter to Patel on Thursday, she gave his agency two weeks to investigate the alleged mishap.
“I am also directing you to conduct an immediate investigation into why my order to the FBI was not followed,” she wrote in the letter. “You will deliver to me a comprehensive report of your findings and proposed personnel action within 14 days.”
— With files from The Associated Press
