There was great excitement all over certain segements of the internet when Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Wednesday evening that she would be releasing part of the Epstein files the next day.

Bondi made those comments to Jesse Watters, and got everyone very worked up instantly.

Everyone began speculating about what would be disclosed, how much would have to be redacted, who would get the news first. Well, several conservative “influencers,” many with long records of pursuing the Epstein files, were invited to the White House to be handed a binder with a partial release of information.

That’s neat and all, but the deal was to release them to all of us. Not give binders to specific influencers to curate.

When are the files going online? https://t.co/xsJZcyvRl6

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) February 27, 2025

As we now know, the information in the binders, handed out with much fanfare, was largely a bust. It was a list of contacts, which contained no huge surprises for someone who was well-connected among the elites.

A source who reviewed a binder containing the first tranche of information — called “phase one” — said Thursday’s release would likely be a “disappointment” for anyone hoping for bombshell revelations about any potential damning ties of high-profile politicians and business leaders to the sick sex trafficker.

It was not immediately known if there would be further Epstein-related information dumps, but the binder’s name implied there could be additional “phases.”

The information that was released has been scanned and made available to the public via Dropbox (which has gotten overloaded and temporarily disabled) and Google Drive. Compounding the feeling of smoke and mirrors was the House Judiciary GOP put out a post on X claiming to release more documents – and it ended up being a link to a Rickroll. People were understandably pissed off, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida wants someone fired.

The amount of people hurt by Epstein is not a joke. Whoever posted this is going to get fired. Disgusting behavior. https://t.co/ETXBfdbPoq

— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) February 28, 2025

The tweet was deleted, but the damage was done. And then Attorney General Bondi released another bombshell of her own – the FBI was withholding files from her.

The FBI's NY Field Office said it gave @AGPamBondi all its Jeffrey Epstein Files. It lied to her, says Bondi. That may be because Epstein appears to have been running a sex blackmail operation, or honeytrap, for intelligence agencies. The FBI has used honeytraps for decades… https://t.co/KU5S51tcR1 pic.twitter.com/ld89xFicMN

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) February 27, 2025

While she addresses her letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, she makes it clear that it isn’t HIM who withheld files, but wants any information still being hidden by the field office in New York to cough everything up, immediately, today. Will they? Bondi had better tell us if they don’t.

There are multiple reasons why the Epstein files should be released. First of all, we know that Epstein and his “madam,” Ghislaine Maxwell, were running a sex-trafficking ring to the wealthy and elite that involved underage girls. While Epstein is dead (by his own hand or not will be a debate for the ages), Maxwell is still battling in court after her conviction. As Katie Pavlich pointed out, Maxwell’s case complicates any release of information.

Hi everyone. Re: Epstein files. Ghislane Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice, is currently on appeal to the Supreme Court (filed January 2025) so don’t expect much new from DOJ until that is resolved. This was the situation today, will be tomorrow and the foreseeable future. pic.twitter.com/SSZvsaeTla

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 28, 2025

Pam Bondi should have known this, and not then overpromised and underdelivered. It wouldn’t have been hard to say, “I want to release the files, but there are still appeals being played out by Maxwell’s legal team, and until those are over, the information can’t be released.” Instead, we got all the circus and none of the payoff. If the American public’s interest is simply prurient, then everyone needs a reminder that there were underage victims involved, and they deserve some justice – right? The public should want the list of names to know if those involved are pedophiles. The point of knowing the names shouldn’t be just for public cancellation – it should be to pursue charges. We should also know, as Michael Shellenberger mentions in his tweet, how many people were “entrapped” by Epstein and Maxwell for the purposes of blackmail. If those people are still in or ever held office, or are in “intelligence agencies,” shouldn’t we know if those people were/are compromised?

We are no better off now than we were 48 hours ago, and the egg is most definitely on Pam Bondi’s face. She should have admitted up front that this information held nothing new. The Epstein files should be released because the American people want accountability – either to hold those who used and abused girls and women to account legally, or, if the statute of limitations has expired, publicly. That means exposing just how many people Epstein and Maxwell had blackmailed into paying them off for their silence. Up until now, the rich and powerful have largely been able to get off scot-free (Prince Andrew being a notable exception, but not because the law took its course, but because his mother and brother were furious with him – and even now, he is still a free man, just a disgraced one). If Pam Bondi wants to reclaim the goodwill she just burned, she needs to bring actual charges against some big names, or detail the blackmail web and then explain that the statute of limitations has expired, or dump ALL the files into the public once the victims’ information is redacted properly.

It’s been pretty obvious that Jeffrey Epstein had a lot of dirt in his back pocket on a lot of people, and those same people would like to keep that same dirt off of them at all costs. Even dead, his records have the power to let some pretty nasty skeletons out of the closet. It’s past time to let sunlight be the disinfectant, once all the legal battles are over, or start filing charges. And if Pam Bondi doesn’t get something done now, then this will go down as a self-inflicted own goal on the Trump DOJ that won’t easily be forgiven or forgotten.

Featured image: Jeffrey Epstein mugshot (screenshot via CBS This Morning on YouTube)