Here’s why Trump’s MAGA base is furious over his handling of the Epstein files

This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)

A broken promise to release more information about the Jeffrey Epstein case has sparked outrage among some of President Donald Trump’s loyal supporters.

The Justice Department last week said Epstein, who was facing charges of sex trafficking, did not leave behind a “client list.” Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in February it was on her desk, though she later said she was referring to the overall case file.

Bondi also said officials were poring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence. The Justice Department concluded, however, that public disclosure would not be appropriate and that much of the material was placed under seal by a judge. That has angered right-wing influencers who were once bolstered by Trump’s own claims on this case, but are now feeling their demands are being squelched by his administration.

Figures like commentator Tucker Carlson, right-wing activist Laura Loomer, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon claim the government’s handling of the case shows a lack of transparency. Anger over the case threatens to divide the MAGA faithful.

Here’s a look at the Epstein sex trafficking case, how the Trump administration has handled it and how his supporters have reacted to recent developments.

What is the Epstein case?

Epstein was a wealthy financier arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself. Maxwell later was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The case attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell’s links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. It also led to some of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Trump’s base.

Conservatives, led by key figures in the MAGA movement, have pressed unsubstantiated claims that Epstein was murdered and that “deep state” actors in the government are hiding lists of his clients, videos of crimes being committed and other evidence. Trump himself suggested there was a cover-up.

What are the ‘Epstein Files’?

Trump lately has tried to change the subject, but the Epstein matter commands attention because of the words and actions from his administration.

In February, far-right influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified.” The binders contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain.

Bondi said in May there were “tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn.” That fueled a belief that details about powerful figures had been suppressed.

“It’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public,” Bondi said at one point.

Multiple people who participated in the criminal cases of Epstein and Maxwell told The Associated Press that they had not seen and did not know of a trove of recordings along the lines of what Bondi had referenced.

What happened last week?

The Justice Department on July 7 acknowledged that Epstein did not have a list of clients and said no more files related to Epstein’s case would be made public.

A two-page memo that bore the logos of the FBI and Justice Department, but that was not signed by any individual, said the DOJ determined that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.” It said much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”

It was a huge retreat from what Bondi and others had previously claimed. And it prompted anger — and more suspicion and conspiracy theories — from the MAGA faithful.

Some MAGA world influencers, including Loomer and Glenn Beck, have explicitly called on Bondi to resign. Former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly, who is now a podcaster, called Bondi “either lazy or incompetent.”

What had Trump said about Epstein before his second term?

As far back as 2019, Trump suggested that Epstein’s death was a cover-up and called for a full investigation.

In retweeting a post by conservative pundit and comedian Terrance K. Williams, who suggested that former President Bill Clinton may have been involved, Trump wrote that Epstein “had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead.”

When asked about his retweet, Trump said he was merely “demanding” a full investigation, a day after then-Attorney General Bill Barr said there had been “serious irregularities” at the prison where Epstein was being held.

In a 2023 interview, Trump told Carlson he believed that Epstein had committed suicide. But he couched his response, saying it was also “possible” that he had been murdered, a theory he said “many people.” believed.

Last year, Trump was asked on Fox News whether he would declassify documents regarding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and he answered “yeah.” He was then asked about the “Epstein files,” and he said “yeah, yeah, I would,” but then added “I think that less so because you don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there, because it’s a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would.”

What has Trump said recently?

In a Cabinet meeting last week, Trump called it “unbelievable” and a “desecration” that people were still talking about “this creep,” given other pressing matters, including the catastrophic flooding in Texas.

In a social media post on Saturday, he expressed support for Bondi.

“What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’” Trump wrote. “They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.”

Adriana Gomez Licon And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press