Trump Frustrated At Having To Take The Heat For Pam Bondi's Handling Of The Epstein Files

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has grown weary of defending Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of nan Justice Department's Jeffery Epstein files and wants her to return work for cleaning up nan mess, according to 4 group acquainted pinch White House deliberations.

"One point that's been clear is his feelings astir it," 1 White House charismatic told NBC News. "This now resides wrong nan DOJ."

Another elder White House charismatic said they believed that nan business had "stabilized" erstwhile asked astir nan White House's position of Bondi's performance.

The administration's refusal to disclose nan afloat contents of nan government's investigation into Epstein, who killed himself successful jailhouse while awaiting proceedings connected charges of sex-trafficking minors successful 2019, has caused a heavy rift betwixt Trump and important elements of his MAGA base.

Bondi is not successful threat of losing her occupation because she is loyal and well-liked by nan president and White House main of unit Susie Wiles, these sources, arsenic good arsenic a personification who is adjacent to nan White House said, but Trump is nary longer willing successful taking power for her.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

On Tuesday, Trump said it is up to Bondi whether to release "credible" information from Epstein-related materials and 3 days later, ordered his lawyer wide to activity a court's support to merchandise "pertinent" expansive assemblage grounds from nan Epstein probe. White House property caput Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that this week's firing of Maurene Comey, a national charismatic who worked nan Epstein case, was handled by nan Justice Department alternatively than Trump. Bondi revenge nan required mobility successful tribunal connected Friday.

It each appears to adhd up to Trump trying to redirect nan Epstein large wind toward Bondi.

“I do deliberation that he likes and respects Pam, but she has without mobility caused immoderate headaches for them,” 1 personification acquainted pinch White House discussions said. “At nan extremity of nan day, astatine this constituent she is almost assuredly is conscionable doing what she is told, truthful I judge she is very safe, but has had missteps.”

In a connection to NBC News, Leavitt did not mention nan Epstein matter successful praising Bondi's record.

“Attorney General Pam Bondi is moving tirelessly to extremity nan weaponization that has rotted our justness system, region convulsive criminals from our streets, and thief President Trump successful making America safe again,” Leavitt said. “The president is appreciative of her efforts.”

Many of Trump’s astir ardent supporters, spurred connected by Bondi and different salient figures successful Trump’s orbit, person agelong believed that nan national authorities hid damaging accusation astir connections betwixt Epstein and immoderate of nan nation’s wealthiest and astir powerful people.

In February, Bondi told Fox News that an Epstein customer database was “sitting connected my table correct now” waiting to beryllium reviewed and released. Her section hyped up "Epstein binders" and circulated them to MAGA influencers. But nan binders contained accusation that was already successful nan nationalist sphere alternatively than highly delicate and damning material.

And successful a memo softly circulated astatine nan extremity of nan July 4 weekend, Bondi's section concluded that nan authorities has nary grounds of nan main components of Epstein-related conspiracy theories: a customer list, a strategy to blackmail salient figures aliases foul play successful his death. Confirming what mainstream media outlets had antecedently reported, nan unsigned Justice Department memo touched disconnected a full-on governmental melee wrong nan president's governmental base.

The merchandise of that memo — and nan deficiency of Justice Department follow-up successful nan aftermath — created an accusation vacuum, which was past near mostly to nan president to fill, 1 White House charismatic explained.

Trump friend Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist, has spent overmuch of nan past 2 weeks torching Bondi connected societal media, referring to her arsenic "Blondi."

"I’ve been exposing Pam Blondi since BinderGate," Loomer wrote connected X past week. "Some White House unit virtually called maine begging maine to extremity attacking her backmost successful February and March. But, I’m not getting immoderate calls to extremity this week. Speaks volumes, doesn’t it?"

With Trump voters demanding much accusation from nan president and nan lawyer general, respective of Trump's astir loyal friends — including Tucker Carlson and Turning Point USA laminitis Charlie Kirk — distanced themselves from him connected nan issue. He responded by flaying them connected Truth Social, calling his critics wrong nan statement "weaklings" and claiming that he nary longer wants "their support."

Trump and White House officials person struggled to move past nan Epstein imbroglio since nan July 4 weekend, possibly having initially underestimated its staying powerfulness wrong nan MAGA movement.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is adjacent to Trump, said nan president does not person to effort to quell nan soul dissent each astatine once.

"Trump will methodically find ways to fulfill his guidelines that he’s superior and they’ll get this point done," Gingrich said. "This is not a crisis; this is simply a problem.”