Axios: Bongino, Bondi at Odds Over Handling of Epstein Case Files

The simmering tension inside the Justice Department over Jeffrey Epstein’s case may be reaching a boiling point. According to Axios, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is reportedly locked in a behind-the-scenes standoff with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of sensitive files related to the disgraced sex offender—and the fallout is shaking up the administration’s inner circle.

Multiple sources told the outlet that Bongino abruptly “took a day off” last Friday after a heated clash with Bondi. Some insiders even speculated he had resigned. While administration officials insist Bongino remains on the job, a source close to him didn’t hold back, reportedly saying, “he ain’t coming back.”

The spark? A memo released by the DOJ and FBI claiming that Epstein had no “client list” and that the infamous financier “committed suicide.” That conclusion has long been viewed with deep skepticism by the American public, and critics argue it reeks of selective transparency. Bongino, who has made a name for himself as a fierce critic of institutional cover-ups, was reportedly frustrated by what he saw as Bondi’s failure to deliver on her promises for full transparency—particularly after she made public remarks suggesting a forthcoming review of Epstein’s files.

Tensions spilled into public view during a recent cabinet meeting when a reporter asked Bondi about a missing minute of jailhouse footage from the night of Epstein’s death. President Trump immediately interjected, sharply rebuking the timing of the question.

“I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration,” Trump told the reporter.

While Trump shut it down, Bondi still took the opportunity to clarify her past remarks about a supposed “client list” sitting on her desk. She emphasized that she had referred broadly to the Epstein file—which includes disturbing material such as tens of thousands of videos Epstein downloaded, described by Bondi as “child porn” that “will never be released” and “never going to see the light of day.”

The Epstein scandal has long symbolized the erosion of public trust in elite institutions. The notion that a politically connected predator could operate unchecked for years, and then conveniently die in federal custody under the most suspicious of circumstances, continues to haunt the justice system. For many Americans—particularly those who demand accountability from unelected bureaucrats—this memo does little to calm outrage.

Bondi’s public assurances raised hopes that sunlight would finally hit the darkest corners of the Epstein saga. Now, those hopes risk collapsing under a familiar pattern of secrecy, half-truths, and vanishing evidence. Bongino’s apparent frustration, shared quietly by many in law enforcement and beyond, is a reflection of a deeper problem: the sense that powerful interests always manage to shield themselves while average Americans are told to simply move on.

As the public clamors for real answers, it remains to be seen whether Bondi and the DOJ will deliver the transparency they once promised—or if this is yet another chapter in Washington’s long history of burying inconvenient truths.