The Justice Department is in the midst of an urgent and chaotic effort to review sensitive materials from the FBI investigation into the convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi pushing the FBI and her own department to release more files from the case amid continued pressure from President Donald Trump’s supporters, multiple sources told ABC News.
As many as a thousand FBI agents, many of whom are usually focusing on national security matters, have been enlisted to help with the effort, sources said.
The push comes two weeks after Bondi handed out binders with Epstein case files to pro-Trump social media influencers at the White House — files that ultimately contained little new information. The move caught White House officials off guard and outraged some supporters of the president, who had been promised that more details would be made public. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded that “everyone is working together as one unified team at the direction of President Trump.”
In tense private exchanges earlier this week, Bondi pressed FBI Director Kash Patel to do more to release still-secret information from the case involving one of the most infamous sex-trafficking criminals in modern history, sources said.
Justice Department officials have made it clear to others throughout the Trump administration that it is now a top priority of the attorney general to sort through the materials related to Epstein and decide what can be publicly disclosed in the days ahead, sources said, and FBI agents have been told to expect to work on this into the early morning hours.
Sources tell ABC News that the Justice Department’s national security division is devoting many of their resources to the effort, despite some top law enforcement officials believing that the information Bondi is demanding be reviewed contains no new revelations.
The all-hands-on-deck effort to expedite the release of additional material has led to a growing rift between officials at the FBI and DOJ, sources said, as both have faced online backlash from vocal MAGA over the Trump administration’s handling of the files.
People walk out of the West Wing and show “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” binders, at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 27, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
In a statement, a DOJ spokesperson told ABC News, “Under Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, the Department of Justice is working relentlessly to deliver unprecedented transparency for the American people.”
The White House referred ABC News to the DOJ’s response.
“Director Patel is committed to full transparency and justice, swiftly delivering documents to the DOJ,” FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson told ABC News in a statement. “He has complete faith in Attorney General Pam Bondi’s leadership and dedication to holding the powerful accountable.”
Among the material under consideration for release is previously undisclosed video evidence from the sex-trafficking investigation into Epstein, sources said, adding that the DOJ has not yet made a final decision on that matter.
Authorities may also be reviewing materials detailed in a document released earlier this month that the Justice Department is calling “Evidence List,” a three-page catalog of material apparently obtained through searches of Epstein’s properties in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Among the items investigators obtained, according to the document, is “one CD labelled ‘girl pics nude book 4’ and a folder titled “LSJ logbook,” which appears to be a reference to Epstein’s private island Little St. James.
The document also lists dozens of recording devices, computers, hard drives and memory sticks, along with various sexual paraphernalia.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while facing federal child sex trafficking charges. The well-connected financier, who owned a private island estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has long been rumored to have kept a “client list” of celebrities and politicians, which right-wing influencers have baselessly accused authorities of hiding. Multiple sources familiar with both civil and criminal cases against Epstein say no such list has been discovered.
In an interview last week, Bondi was asked about the increasing pressure from Trump’s base to release more files, and confirmed that the department was working to make them public.
“The MAGA group is mad that we don’t know more about the Epstein files … are you going to give us any more information?” Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo asked the attorney general.
Bondi responded that FBI Director Kash Patel was working on providing the DOJ with a timeline for the next document release.
“We will get out as much as we can, as fast as we can to the American people,” she said.
ABC News previously reported that Bondi faced backlash from the White House and Trump allies over her handling of the initial Epstein file release earlier this month.
During a White House event with pro-Trump social media influencers, Bondi distributed binders labeled “Epstein Files: Phase 1,” catching senior White House officials off guard. The materials contained mostly previously public records, sparking outrage from some of Trump’s supporters, including far-right activist Laura Loomer, who slammed the release as “unprofessional” and untrustworthy.
ABC News’ James Hill contributed to this report.
