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Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired off a scathing letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, accusing the bureau’s New York field office of withholding thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
Bondi, who has vowed to make the files public, has given the FBI until 8:00 a.m. Friday to turn over the complete case file—including all records, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Epstein and his associates.
Bondi initially requested the full Epstein case file before Patel was confirmed as FBI director. In response, she received only about 200 pages, a fraction of what has already been released in previous civil lawsuits.
Among the documents were flight logs, Epstein’s contact lists, and the names and phone numbers of victims. However, a source within the FBI’s New York office later informed her that the agency was sitting on thousands of additional pages related to Epstein’s indictment and investigation—files the bureau never disclosed existed.
“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,” Bondi wrote in her letter to Patel. “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.”
The revelation sparked swift action from Bondi, who not only demanded the immediate release of the documents but also ordered an internal investigation into why the files were withheld. She has given Patel a two-week deadline to submit a comprehensive report detailing the findings and any proposed personnel actions.
While the FBI has not responded to Bondi’s allegations, a Department of Justice source confirmed that the bureau’s New York field office withheld the files.
Patel, who has positioned himself as a reformer within the bureau, took to social media to insist that his leadership would be defined by transparency.
“There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned—and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued,” Patel wrote on X. “If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them.”
Bondi has made it clear that she intends to make Epstein’s files public. While a first batch of documents was expected to be released Thursday, reports suggest that much of what was included had already been leaked in previous cases.
In a television interview Wednesday, Bondi hinted at the explosive nature of the files yet to be released. “Jesse, there are well over—this will make you sick—200 victims… Over 250, actually,” she told Fox News host Jesse Watters. “We have to make sure that their identity is protected… but other than that, I think tomorrow… You’re going to see some Epstein information being released by my office.”
The release of Epstein-related documents has drawn intense interest from the public and the media. Conservative journalists and commentators were seen leaving the White House on Thursday morning carrying binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.”
With Bondi now demanding full disclosure and Patel promising transparency, the focus is squarely on whether the FBI will meet Friday’s deadline—or whether another round of obstruction will follow.