The White House is desperately trying to move on by directing the ongoing uproar to the FBI as MAGA world clamors for the release of more Jeffrey Epstein files.
When asked on Monday why the president does not just order the FBI to release the full Epstein files, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt left the ball in the bureau’s court and claimed it was up to the attorney general.
“The president has said if the Department of Justice and the FBI want to move forward with releasing any further credible evidence, they should do so,” Leavitt responded. “As to why they have or have not or will, you should ask the FBI.”
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However, it was the FBI and Justice Department that had released a memo earlier this month indicating no further information would be released, igniting the entire firestorm to begin with.
That memo also claimed there was no Epstein client list, raising additional questions after Attorney General Pam Bondi previously indicated in February the list was on her desk for review, before later claiming she was referring to the files as a whole.
When pressed on Monday whether the president would call on FBI Director Kash Patel to do more, Leavitt once again tried to distance the White House from decision making and said it was with the federal law enforcement agency.
“The president has told the attorney general and the FBI director to release any credible evidence that they find, and he also signaled to them over the weekend to move forward with unsealing the grand jury documents that were under seal by various judges across the country,” she claimed.
It comes as the president has raged over new bombshell reports about his own relationship with Epstein including allegedly writing Epstein a birthday letter.
In an attempt to move past the ongoing outrage, the president last week posted that he had asked Bondi to produce “pertinent” grand jury testimony, but he also started to blast the entire case as the Epstein hoax and blame Democrats after previously saying on the campaign trail he would release the files.
On Friday, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to unseal the testimony from the prosecution of the disgraced financier as well as the grand jury testimony from the case against Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex-trafficking and remains in prison.
However, grand jury testimony is typically shielded from the public to protect witnesses and victims. Legal experts have also warned that even if the grand jury testimony is unsealed by a judge, it would be extremely limited. It would not include key evidence such as witness statements, recordings or reveal co-conspirators.
Far-right activists have been among some of the loudest voices calling for Epstein’s clients to be revealed.
Leavitt was asked about the frustration from MAGA world on Monday as the president has blasted his own supporters in recent days and urged them to move on from the Epstein case, but she rejected that he was losing support from his base.
As the White House struggles to put distance between itself from backlash and accusations swirl that the Justice Department and FBI are attempting to protect the president by not releasing more, Republicans on Capitol Hill have moved to block Democrats’ efforts to have the files released.
On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson shut the door on the House voting on a resolution to release the files before going on recess for the month of August.
“There is no daylight between the House Republicans, the House and the president on maximum transparency. He has said he wants all the credible files related to Epstein to be released,” Johnson claimed.
Johnson pointed to the president asking the attorney general to release grand jury testimony.
“My belief is we need to have the administration have the space to do what it is doing. If further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we’ll look at that, but I don’t think we’re at that point right now,” he argued.
The GOP House leadership plan to head out on break without the vote was called out by podcaster Theo Von. Last fall, Vice President JD Vance called for the files to be released on his show.
He tagged Vance in his X post in which he asked Johnson why the House could not put the bill from Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie on the floor for a vote.
“Why cant we put the @RoKhanna @RepThomasMassie bill for a vote this week @SpeakerJohnson @JDVance??" he wrote.
