Pam Bondi’s removal as U.S. attorney general on Thursday landed amid renewed attention to the department’s handling of the “Epstein files,” a set of investigative materials that victims, conservative activists and lawmakers said the government promised but delivered in a series of uneven steps. Bondi, appointed after President Donald Trump took office, faced criticism for the way expectations were raised, scaled back, and then followed by statutory deadlines and document releases that left victims and their attorneys disputing whether privacy safeguards held.
Jess Michaels, a woman who has publicly said she was sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein, described a belief that Bondi’s role in the Justice Department could change what she viewed as a longstanding failure to provide clarity. Michaels said she recalled thinking, “Well, maybe a woman stepping into this role will finally, finally get the truth,” and added that she believed Bondi had an opportunity to help survivors but “chose not to,” as she spoke after Trump announced Bondi was out of the nation’s top law enforcement job. Another accuser, Annie Farmer, said, “This is not about a single person. It is about a government and judicial system that has repeatedly failed Epstein survivors.”
The Epstein-files dispute was not the only controversy of Bondi’s tenure, but the overall arc — high expectations for disclosure, followed by assertions there was “nothing to see” and then a forced document dump — became the stubborn narrative critics carried through her time in the post. Bondi rejected criticism of her handling, and Trump praised her on Thursday as “a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend.” For victims who watched the process unfold, some said the change in leadership alone would not restore trust.
The timeline described by the Associated Press begins in February 2025, shortly after Bondi was confirmed as attorney general. With Trump having suggested during the campaign that he would open more government documents about Epstein, Bondi told Fox News that “you’re going to see some Epstein information released,” and she said the much-sought “list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients” was “sitting on my desk right now” when asked about releasing it. A day later, conservative commentators and content creators were brought to the White House to get DOJ binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified.”
The effort to showcase transparency quickly backfired, according to the AP account, after it emerged that much of what was shown was already public. Bondi later demanded that the FBI give her “the full and complete Epstein files,” and she said she had unearthed a “truckload” of previously withheld material and that “everything is going to come out to the public,” setting up months of anticipation among those seeking broader disclosure.
In July 2025, the Justice Department announced it would not release any more Epstein material. The AP says a court had sealed much of the records to protect victims and that only “a fraction” would have come out had Epstein gone to trial, according to an unsigned memo. The department also said authorities had not found evidence that merited new charges or investigations and argued that “perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein” would not help victims get justice. It added there was no “client list,” and officials said Bondi’s prior statement that such a list was on her desk was meant to refer to the overall case file. Conservative influencers criticized what they described as a turnabout, while Trump, at a White House Cabinet meeting, scolded a journalist for attempting to ask a question about Epstein.
By November 2025, Congress passed legislation to force the Justice Department to disclose investigative files on Epstein. The AP says Trump signed the law, framing the push for Epstein information as a distraction from the Republican agenda. At Trump’s urging, Bondi also announced that the U.S. attorney in Manhattan would investigate Epstein’s ties to some political opponents of the president, including Democratic former President Bill Clinton; neither Clinton nor Trump has been accused by Epstein accusers of misconduct, and both have said they knew nothing about Epstein’s alleged misconduct and cut ties with him years earlier.
The statutory deadlines then drove the releases. In December 2025, DOJ released only some records. The AP says the documents included some material not previously seen, including candid photos of Clinton, but did not break major ground and included little about Trump. The department said it was continuing to review other records to ensure victims were protected, but Democrats criticized what they described as a cover-up. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., accused DOJ of breaking the law by missing the deadline and redacting too much, and some accusers questioned extensive redactions.
In January 2026, DOJ began releasing a large cache of additional Epstein documents, videos and photos, with others still withheld. The AP describes the disclosures as shedding light on communications and the access and relationships around Epstein, while also saying the releases included highly personal information about some victims and redacted the names of Epstein correspondents in emails that appeared to refer to sexual abuse of underage girls. Gloria Allred, an attorney for numerous Epstein victims, said in an email Thursday that Bondi had betrayed them by failing to protect personal information in the files, warning that “she has destroyed the trust in the DOJ that victims had a right to expect,” and that Bondi’s termination may be the only kind of justice survivors would receive from the department.
The controversy then spilled into Congress again in February 2026, when a congressional hearing took up the Epstein-files issue. The AP says Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling, criticized Democrats, and lauded Trump over, among other things, stock market performance, while also saying she was “deeply sorry” for what Epstein victims suffered. At the hearing, she declined a request from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to face and apologize to victims for DOJ actions, and she dismissed Massie’s critiques of the release of victims’ personal information.
The AP account says the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed Bondi in March 2026 to answer questions April 14 on DOJ’s investigation and file releases. The subpoena had bipartisan support, with five Republicans joining Democrats, reflecting dissatisfaction within the GOP base as well. After Bondi’s departure, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to serve as acting attorney general. Michaels had wanted Bondi out, but she said whether Blanche would do better was uncertain, adding: “We can only hope. But given that they worked together, I don’t have great expectations.”
As scrutiny continues around who will lead DOJ through the remaining disputes over the Epstein materials, lawyers for victims have emphasized that leadership turnover does not end the underlying question of protection and accountability. Robert Glassman, an attorney for a woman who testified as “Jane” in the 2021 criminal trial of Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, said that agency leaders come and go, but that “for victims of sexual abuse, what matters is whether the institutions meant to protect them actually do their job,” according to the AP report.