A recent joint memo from the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI has caused a firestorm of controversy. No one in media is more outraged than rightwing influencers—especially those on the former President Donald Trump’s payroll. That undated and unsigned memo asserts that there’s no credible evidence of a “client list” tied to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Pretty safe to say that shatters any speculation about this one. This announcement goes against the deeply ingrained belief in the conservative community that this type of list is out there and names big fish, such as Hillary Clinton.
Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019 whilst awaiting trial on serious charges of sex trafficking and related crimes. Since then, dozens of conspiracy theories have emerged regarding his ties to powerful people. Yet as bizarre as this memo was supposed to be, the memo explicitly declared the government did not find evidence that Epstein had blackmailed any unknown co-conspirators. Rightwing culture warriors and commentators are understandably disappointed and frustrated. As they told us, they have for years feared what might come as a result of Epstein’s supposed ties.
This is total madness! Conservative influencer Liz Wheeler could hardly believe the federal government’s stance. She noted that Epstein’s client list had been cited before in a way that suggested there was a concrete document out there.
“How could [Bondi] give the American people those ‘phase 1’ binders that contained nothing?” – Liz Wheeler
The memo further disclosed that the government possesses nearly 300 gigabytes of documentary evidence related to Epstein’s operation. The problem is, a lot of this sensitive material will never see the light of day. This includes information that would violate the privacy of trafficking victims or feature graphic content. The very fact of such a trove has only fueled speculation on all that it could possibly contain.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi previously claimed on Fox News that Epstein’s alleged client list was literally “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Her comments sent rightwing activists into a frenzy of enthusiasm. Despite not knowing what was included in the list, they thought the Trump administration was going to release it publicly at some point.
In light of the above recent memo, some influencers are calling into question Bondi’s credibility.
“Trump has to fire Pam Bondi,” – Keith and Kevin Hodge
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones took it a step further, saying the memo’s allegations could go so deep as to completely erase Epstein from existence.
“Next the [justice department] will say, ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed.’” – Alex Jones
The right’s reaction to the memo shows just how deeply Epstein’s case remains the obsession of rightwing activists. Many feel that the government’s dismissal of a client list undermines their narratives and expectations regarding accountability for powerful individuals allegedly involved in Epstein’s activities.
Wheeler, a former justice department official himself, rebuked the justice department’s approach and called the state of affairs an example of “unforgivable behavior”. She also doubled down on her conviction that any and all information about Epstein should be released to the public promptly and without redaction.
“Contextualizing all of this – this seems like unforgivable behavior.” – Liz Wheeler
The continued debate over Jeffrey Epstein continues to lay bare some of the thickest divisions along lines of public opinion and political alignment that exist in America today. And already, rightwing influencers are mobilizing against the new memo. More importantly, they’re focusing on what they perceive to be a gross failure of transparency regarding Epstein’s ties and the damage done to those high-profile men.