The DOJ’s Epstein Memo Is Tearing the Trump Administration Apart

The impact of the death of a convicted sex offender is still being felt years later, as the highest levels of Donald Trump’s second administration engage in a bitter battle over Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged “client list.”

“This fight is taking up a lot of my time,” said a senior administration official, referring to his bruised ego, infighting among senior officials, frustration among some members of the president’s inner circle, and internal allegations of media leaks.

The Justice Department announced in a memo Sunday that Jeffrey Epstein had indeed committed suicide, that his potentially explosive “client list” no longer existed, and that the administration was effectively closing its case against the convicted sex offender, whose death in prison in 2019 had been a lightning rod for conspiracy theorists, particularly those who supported Trump, not to mention the president’s ties to Epstein.

Rolling Stone reported that the Trump administration was preparing for a “MAGA” revolt over its “Nothing Seen Here” memo. The “MAGA” movement has, as expected, taken off, with many influential right-wing figures expressing their outrage over the memo. Many are calling for the impeachment of Attorney General Pam Bondi, and some even appear to have a grudge against the president. At a “MAGA” event on Friday, one of them asked former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, “Trump has become the deep state. What’s deeper than covering up for pedophiles?”

It’s not just outside observers and MGA-loving internet fans who are upset. Rolling Stone reports that FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have also been outraged since the memo’s release, and more generally by Bondi’s handling of the Epstein investigation, including the release of the federal findings.

Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist close to Trump, who was furious about the memo, posted on X’s website Friday that Patel and Bongino were “very angry” with Bondi, and that Bongino had taken a sabbatical Friday. Axios confirmed shortly afterward that Bongino had resigned Friday after falling out with Bondi over the matter. CNN added that Bongino had discussed a possible resignation following the memo.

Press offices for the FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to messages from Rolling Stone Friday afternoon.

Two Trump officials and another source familiar with the matter told Rolling Stone that Patel and Bongino privately accused Bondi. Bongino, in particular, took the matter more seriously and believed the attorney general had misled the president’s base when she appeared on television in February and joked that a “client list” was on her desk for review.

When the memo, released by the Justice Department and the FBI, angered ardent Trump supporters, Bongino said the pro-Trump right was accusing him and Patel of the actions of Bondi and others, according to some sources, and that their credibility with these factions was eroding.

Two sources added that tensions between Patel and Bondi are not new. “These two people do not like each other,” a Trump administration official added. “I’m surprised there isn’t more information on this.”

Trump had promised before the election that his administration would release the so-called Epstein Files, which “pro-Trump” conspiracy theorists had long hoped would reveal a host of influential figures complicit with Epstein. After Bondi claimed to have Epstein’s client list on her desk in February, she orchestrated a PR stunt: She distributed folders containing “Phase 1” of the Epstein files to prominent right-wing influencers.

Many of these influencers now feel betrayed by the Justice Department’s memo, which emphasizes that after a “thorough” investigation, the department found “no incriminating client lists” or “no credible evidence… that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures in connection with his activities.” The Justice Department also released a video of Epstein’s cell on the night of his death. However, the video skips to a minute before midnight, fueling speculation about a possible cover-up.

As the finger-pointing continues, a source close to the Trump White House reported that the three men—Bondy, Patel, and Bongino—had internally approved the release of the infamous memo on Sunday. Each hoped it would put an end to the internal attacks they were facing from the MAGA movement regarding the investigation and the lack of revelations corroborating conspiracy theories.

Todd Blanche, an assistant attorney general who has previously represented Trump in criminal court, wrote Friday on X’s website that the Justice Department was united in its discussion about the memo: “I worked closely with [Patel] and [Bongino] on the joint FBI-DOJ memo regarding the Epstein files. We all approved the contents and conclusions of the memo. Any suggestion that there was disagreement between the leadership of the FBI and DOJ regarding the drafting and release of this memo is completely false.”

Blanche did not deny other details, such as public reports of a brewing, or rekindled, feud between some of the president’s top aides.

“In truth,” a senior administration official was quoted as saying by Axios, “[Bongino] was supportive of the release of the information accompanying the video and had no problem with it until he was criticized online.” Bongino found the video containing the missing minute. He confirmed it after a “thorough review,” he said, thinking it would put an end to the matter. Faced with the failure of this initiative, he lost his mind and fled the capital.

Epstein’s former friend, Trump, sharply criticized a reporter who asked Bondi about the missing minute during a Cabinet meeting earlier this week. He questioned why the Epstein topic continued to be discussed and called it “sacrilege.” Bondi attributed the missing minute to an outdated system that cut off a minute when the video was reset each night, which did little to dampen the excitement surrounding the memo and the video.

Elon Musk, a former Trump ally and major donor who headed the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, further fueled tensions as his relationship with the president deteriorated. He wrote last month that the “real reason” the Epstein files have not been released is that Trump was “involved in them.” After the memo’s release on Sunday, Musk then asked, “How can anyone trust Trump if he doesn’t release the Epstein files?”

Elon Musk, pictured with Epstein’s partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, is also at odds with Trump, allegedly seeking to create a third political party. Observers can only speculate about what the government has on Epstein. It’s also unclear what prompted the release of the memo to close the case, especially since the administration has repeatedly joked that it would soon reveal the truth about Epstein and his clients. Nevertheless, the memo has angered supporters of the “MAGA” movement, both in the media and within the administration.