Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday did not take the chance to respond to the intense criticism she’s faced from President Donald Trump’s MAGA base over her handling of files related to an investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, while also dodging a question on her reported fight with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
Earlier this month, Bondi’s department and the FBI released a memo concluding they found no evidence that Epstein was killed or that he kept a client list to blackmail people, contradicting comments the attorney general made to Fox News in February that she was in possession of such a list and ready to review it as part of “a directive by President Trump.”
During a press conference meant to focus on the actions the DOJ is taking to fight drug trafficking, Bondi declared that she was “not going to talk about Epstein” amid an onslaught of questions about the late sex offender.
Bondi, who has been at the center of the controversy, refused to offer a response to the attacks she’s faced from many people within the president’s MAGA wing over her handling of the Epstein files.
“We’re going to fight to keep America safe again and we’re fighting together as a team,” she said.
Bondi reportedly clashed with Bongino last week after accusing him of leaking stories that the FBI was upset about the Epstein case being closed. The confrontation prompted Bongino to threaten to resign unless the attorney general was fired, according to NBC News. Still, as of Wednesday morning, both Bongino and Bondi remain in their roles.
Asked about whether Bongino should stay in his job amid the reports of their dispute, Bondi replied: “I’m not going to discuss personnel matters.”
“I think we all are committed to working together now to make America safe again,” she said. “And that’s what we’re doing.”
Bondi also told reporters she’s not going anywhere as long as she enjoys Trump’s support.
“I’m going to be here for as long as the president wants me here, and I believe he’s made that crystal clear,” she said.
Trump defended Bondi yet again Tuesday, saying, “She’s really done a very good job” and suggesting that more information could be made public, but only if it is trustworthy.
“She’s handled it very well, and it’s gonna be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,” he said.
Bondi told reporters she hadn’t seen Trump’s latest statement, but noted that “our memo speaks for itself.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) praised Bondi’s performance in the job, but urged her to speak clearly about what she meant when she said the Epstein client list was sitting on her desk.
“I think she was talking about documents, as I understood it, that were on her desk. I don’t know that she was specific about a list or whatever, but she needs to come forward and explain that to everybody,” Johnson told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has claimedBondi was referring to “the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes” and not a client list.
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