The crimes and death of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, have long fed conspiracy theories among some of President Trump’s most ardent supporters.
Their interest has reached a crescendo over the past week, after the Trump administration abruptly reversed course on its pledge to disclose previously unknown details about the investigation into Mr. Epstein. In an unsigned memo, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said their investigation turned up no evidence that Mr. Epstein kept a “client list” or blackmailed notable people, and confirmed that Mr. Epstein died by suicide.
Nearly all of the influential right-wing figures speaking out about the case seem to agree that more information needs to be released. Their demands are often accompanied by blame for mishandling the case, aimed at a wide array of figures they deem responsible.
Here is a breakdown of where the president and more than 30of his most prominent supporters have fallen on the issue, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Viewpoint: The Justice Department’s investigation was complete, and no further action is necessary.
Attorney General Pam Bondi
Deputy F.B.I. Director Dan Bongino
F.B.I. Director Kash Patel
President Trump
This is the official stance of the Justice Department itself — as well as the F.B.I., which falls under its purview — as indicated in the memo released last week. The memo was unsigned, but those who have been expected to answer for it have included Attorney General Pam Bondi, F.B.I. Director Kash Patel and his deputy director, Dan Bongino.
Last year, before Mr. Trump was re-elected, Mr. Bongino had cast doubt over the case, saying, “I don’t trust any story they tell me about Jeffrey Epstein. There is a reason this client list is hidden.” The Epstein case also gave rise to an angry confrontation between Ms. Bondi and Mr. Bongino, according to officials close to the situation.
Mr. Trump himself has also attempted to turn down the volume on the topic, defending Ms. Bondi in a post on Truth Social that encouraged readers to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.” Many of the thousands of replies to Mr. Trump’s Truth Social post overwhelmingly disagreed with him — a rarity on the president’s own platform.
What’s going on with my “boys” and, in some cases, “gals?” They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and “selfish people” are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again. Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, 51 “Intelligence” Agents, “THE LAPTOP FROM HELL,” and more? They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called “friends” are playing right into their hands. Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it? They haven’t even given up on the John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. Files. No matter how much success we have had, securing the Border, deporting Criminals, fixing the Economy, Energy Dominance, a Safer World where Iran will not have Nuclear Weapons, it’s never enough for some people. We are about to achieve more in 6 months than any other Administration has achieved in over 100 years, and we have so much more to do. We are saving our Country and, MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, which will continue to be our complete PRIORITY. The Left is imploding! Kash Patel, and the FBI, must be focused on investigating Voter Fraud, Political Corruption, ActBlue, The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020, and arresting Thugs and Criminals, instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein. LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 — That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more. One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Despite the overall reaction to Mr. Trump’s post, at least one of his influential supporters seemed satisfied with the official narrative. Dinesh D’Souza, a right-wing commentator who directed a film that spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, agreed with Mr. Trump that it was “time to focus on more pressing matters.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump reiterated that he did not understand the fascination with Mr. Epstein, but also said Ms. Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” on the case. On Wednesday, he went even further and said he no longer wanted the support of those who believed what he called the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
Viewpoint: The Trump administration is responsible for a perceived lack of transparency about the Epstein case.
Representative Mark Alford
Glenn Beck
Representative Tim Burchett
Representative Eric Burlison
Representative Kat Cammack
Tucker Carlson
Mike Cernovich
Representative Eli Crane
Dinesh D’Souza
Michael Flynn
Representative Marjorie Taylor
Benny Johnson
Speaker Mike Johnson
Alex Jones
Senator John Kennedy
Charlie Kirk
Laura Loomer
Representative Anna Paulina Luna
Representative Nancy Mace
Rogan O’Handley (DC Draino)
Jack Posobiec
Chad Prather
Representative Keith Self
Matt Walsh
Liz Wheeler
The initial backlash among many of the MAGA faithful, including Republican elected officials and right-wing media figures and other influencers, focused primarily on Ms. Bondi, who had already lost credibility with the base after previously hyping a release of documents related to the Epstein case that ultimately revealed little new information.
Mr. Trump himself mostly dodged their opprobrium. (Last month, though, some renewed interest in the Epstein case came after Elon Musk’s messy falling-out with the president culminated in Mr. Musk accusing Mr. Trump, in a now-deleted post on X, of being named in the F.B.I.’s files.)
In the days since, many of Mr. Trump’s supporters have remained quick to criticize the administration’s stance that there’s nothing left to uncover regarding the Epstein case while stopping short of calling out or blaming the president himself.
Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer, has long called on Ms. Bondi to resign while absolving Mr. Trump of any responsibility.
Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified
More of a reason for Blondi to resign.
She should just be FIRED.
Trump can like her, but surely he knows she’s bringing him chaos.
She is harming his spectacular image.
Charlie Kirk, Jack Posobiec and Benny Johnson, who host popular MAGA podcasts, have all pushed back aggressively on the official narrative, urging more transparency and casting doubt on the Justice Department memo’s contention that there is nothing left to release. Complicating matters, Mr. Kirk also caused a mini-uproar when he told listeners on Monday that he was done talking about the Epstein case and would “trust his friends in the administration.” He later said that his words had been misinterpreted and taken out of context and he has continued to discuss the matter.
Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson said on X that he, Mr. Kirk and other “powerful MAGA voices” should be credited with moving the administration to change its approach.
Just got off the phone with top federal law enforcement contact. The change in approach to Epstein has been dramatic. Expect more disclosures. Some very powerful people inside Admin are now pushing for a Special Counsel and a full press briefing on Epstein findings.
Important to note, this drastic change happened after @charliekirk11 and a number of other powerful MAGA Voices pushed back on the handling of the Epstein case this weekend at the Turning Point conference. They were met with massive roars and applause from the 7000 gathered that could not be ignored.
In short: Our voices are being heard, power to the people 🇺🇸👊🏼
Viewpoint: Mr. Trump himself bears some share of the responsibility.
Roseanne Barr
Tucker Carlson
Glenn Beck
Mike Cernovich
Michael Flynn
David Freiheit (Viva Frei)
Alex Jones
Elon Musk
Chad Prather
Wayne Allyn Root
Most of Mr. Trump’s biggest supporters are loath to raise questions about his actions, so it is notable that a number of them have called Mr. Trump out directly when it comes to the Epstein case.
Mostly, they have done so delicately and with respectful language, treating their concerns as appeals to the president rather than criticisms of him. For instance, Wayne Allyn Root, a conservative TV and radio host, posted an entreaty to “just release” the files, preceded by hyperbolic praise.
Trump did something GREAT yesterday…but he still has to deal with Epstein. It’s clear Epstein is not going away. Best 6 months for any president in history. Everything he’s doing is fantastic. Why risk it all on this stupid file? Just release it.
Similarly, Michael T. Flynn, who served as national security adviser for a spell in Mr. Trump’s first administration and remains close to him, urged the president in a post on X to “get ahead of” the public interest in the case, but also assured him that “we want to support every bit of your fight to save America.”
@realDonaldTrump this is why I said the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away anytime soon. Get ahead of this. We want to support every bit of your fight to save America, none more than me.
CHILDREN WILL NOT BE ABUSED BY ANYONE.
No category nor any class of people should ever get away with abusing CHILDREN.
Enough is enough.
ACCOUNTABILITY is coming either here on earth or at the Gates of Hell, which is where I will be waiting for those who abuse a child.
For @LeaderJohnThune @SpeakerJohnson Get your troops in line immediately!!!
Others were less measured. Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and radio host, asked on X, “Why is 47 making the worst moves of his tenure in the last 9 years?” (Mr. Jones has also questioned the administration’s actions and blamed outside forces.) The actress Roseanne Barr, one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal supporters, told the president to “read the damn room.”
Those who have called out Mr. Trump personally also included Elon MuskandDavid Freiheit, an influencer who goes by the handle Viva Frei, as well as Glenn Beck and the right-wing commentators Mike Cernovich and Chad Prather, who also called for greater transparency from the Justice Department.
Viewpoint: Forces outside the administration are responsible for gaps in public understanding of the Epstein case.
Steve Bannon
Roseanne Barr
Representative Tim Burchett
Dinesh D’Souza
Tucker Carlson
Representative. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Alex Jones
Jack Posobiec
Roger Stone
President Donald J. Trump
Some of Mr. Trump’s supporters have looked further afield for explanation, opining that Mr. Trump and his administration are not (or are not solely) responsible for the unmet public interest in Mr. Epstein’s case. In many instances, these statements began to look like new conspiracy-theory threads.
Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to Mr. Trump, said without evidence on Sunday that the Justice Department under the Biden administration had destroyed evidence relating to the case.
When Kash Patel, our FBI Director, tells us there are no Epstein records — even though we saw with our own eyes that DVDs and hard drives were seized from Epstein’s properties — he’s telling us the truth.
I believe that evidence was destroyed by Christopher Wray and Biden’s DOJ.
Some influential figures blamed both Mr. Trump or his administration and others outside it. Tucker Carlson, for instance, has been critical of Ms. Bondi’s handling of the case and has pushed back against Mr. Trump’s efforts to tamp down on questions. At a public appearance over the weekend, he also strongly implied Mr. Epstein was engaged in spycraft on behalf of the Israeli government. (Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli prime minister, called Mr. Carlson’s claim “categorically and totally false.”)
Mr. Trump himself has also been pushing unfounded theories about the Epstein files, including saying that they were a fraudulent creation by former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other liberal figures.
