The Trump administration appeared to release files on Thursday relating to disgraced fancier Jeffrey Epstein to an exclusive group of right-wing influencers.
Conservative political commentators were spotted at the White House on Thursday holding binders labeled “The Epstein Files” just hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged transparency in the release of documents related to Epstein, who was found dead in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
????Today I met with President Trump, VP JD Vance, AG Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel in the Oval Office
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) February 27, 2025
They handed me a binder copy of the Epstein Files
This is the most transparent administration in American history
The best part? This is just the start. AG Bondi… pic.twitter.com/A4MRVuPeVh
The Justice Department has yet to release the documents to the general public. The supposed materials were marked “declassified,” according to photos surfaced online, though it was not immediately clear whether the information they contained had ever been classified in the first place.
Among those seen holding the binders were prominent right-wing figures, including Rogan O’Handley (known as DC Draino), Mike Cernovich, Jack Posobiec, and Chaya Raichik, also known as LibsOfTikTok.
Bondi told Fox News on Wednesday that the documents would include Epstein’s flight logs and “a lot of names.” However, it remains uncertain whether any new information will be in the files or if they contain details that have already been made public.
The decision to grant certain influencers access before the public has sparked backlash. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), chairwoman of the newly-created House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, expressed frustration over the process.
I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today… A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein's phonebook.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) February 27, 2025
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment.
GET US THE…
“I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today… A New York Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein’s phonebook,” Luna said on X. “THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!”
The public reaction to the influencers receiving the files was also mixed on social media. Controversial right-wing activist Laura Loomer, from whom Trump has sought to distance himself, criticized the selective release, writing, “Full disclosure to the public. I don’t need the Epstein files to be curated to me through a bunch of pick-me conservative influencers. I can read myself. Release the files or stop pretending like you are going to release them. Enough with the theatrics. This is pathetic.”
Full disclosure to the public.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 27, 2025
I don’t need the Epstein files to be curated to me through a bunch of pick me conservative influencers.
I can read myself.
Release the files or stop pretending like you are going to release them.
Enough with the theatrics. This is pathetic. https://t.co/sFJEKwVIQd
Left-wing commentator Ed Krassenstein was equally outraged, stating, “This is disgusting. The Trump admin is handing out binders of Jeffrey Epstein evidence to far-right media influencers. Is this a game to them? What are they hiding?”
This is disgusting. The Trump admin is handing out binders of Jeffrey Epstein evidence to far-right media influencers.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 27, 2025
Is this a game to them? What are they hiding? pic.twitter.com/VNNfc2jdOQ
Epstein’s crimes and connections to high-profile figures have remained a topic of intense public interest for years, particularly following his death in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. His relationships with royals, presidents, and billionaires have fueled speculation about the extent of his network and potential cover-ups. Over time, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, criminal dockets, public disclosures, and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed a cache of documents from a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, but much of the information had already been made public.
Epstein was accused of sexually abusing children hundreds of times over more than a decade, targeting vulnerable girls as young as 14. Upon discovering is body in August 2019, authorities declared his death a suicide. His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in December 2021 for luring young girls into Epstein’s orbit between 1994 and 2004. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Maxwell, the daughter of late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell, has maintained that she was scapegoated for Epstein’s crimes.
RELEASE OF EPSTEIN COURT RECORDS REVEALS DETAILS ABOUT HIGH-PROFILE CONTACTS
Despite the DOJ’s promises of transparency, the handling of the document release on Thursday could fuel more skepticism.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who has also been at the forefront to release undisclosed details about Epstein’s connections, suggested this would be “Phase one” of an information rollout, according to an interview with Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo.