MAGA is eating its own following a disappointing end to the “Epstein Files” saga.
The Department of Justice released a memo on Monday, concluding that sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein kept no client list and committed suicide in his jail cell. The memo came after years of right-wing clamoring for the release of the FBI’s files on the late financier, stoked by Donald Trump and members of his administration.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had the unenviable job of selling that letdown as a triumph, telling reporters that the memo was part of the Trump administration’s commitment to truth.
“The attorney general and the FBI director pledged, at the president’s direction, to do an exhaustive review of all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and his death. And they put out a memo in conclusion of that review,” she said. “There was material they did not release because, frankly, it was incredibly graphic, and it contained child pornography — which is not something that’s appropriate for public consumption. But they committed to an exhaustive investigation, that’s what they did.”
Fox News’ Peter Doocy was among the unsatisfied, and he laid into Leavitt over the anticlimax. He noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi had boasted of a client list on his network and wondered if she was lying then or now.
“According to the report, this systematic review revealed no incriminating client list. So what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on her desk?” he said.
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When Leavitt attempted to answer, Doocy cut her off with a direct quote from the head of the Department of Justice.
“She said, ‘It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,’” he offered.
“She was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork — all of the paper — in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes,” Leavitt replied. “That’s what the attorney general was referring to. And I’ll let her speak for that.”
Watch the exchange below:
DOOCY: So what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on her desk?
LEAVITT: I think if you go back and look at what the attorney general said
DOOCY: I’ve got the quote. She said, it’s sitting on my desk right now to review. pic.twitter.com/RtsRuUrNwh
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 7, 2025
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