FBI Director Kash Patel moved to quash rumors that he might quit over Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of Jeffrey Epstein records, declaring in an X post that "the conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been" and vowing to stay "as long as" President Donald Trump wants him on the job.
What Happened: Patel's message on Saturday landed hours before Trump published a lengthy Truth Social post defending Bondi and chastising supporters for "going after" her amid calls for fuller disclosure of Epstein files.
The social-media volley marked the administration's latest attempt to calm a week-long uproar touched off when the Justice Department and FBI released a memo on Sunday that said Epstein left no secret "client list," reaffirmed his 2019 jail suicide and concluded further disclosures would "serve no purpose." The document, plus a surveillance video that included a one-minute gap, enraged online activists and sparked talk that Bondi, Patel or Deputy Director Dan Bongino might resign.
Axios reported in its July 12 newsletter that Bongino had threatened to quit after a heated White House meeting, while fringe accounts claimed Patel had already scrubbed his X bio. Patel rejected that narrative, saying he serves at Trump's pleasure and that no bombshell material remains hidden.
Before joining the Trump administration, Patel repeatedly pressed for the Epstein files' release and, in a December 2023 podcast, accused the Biden administration of withholding them "because of who's on that list."
Why It Matters: The friction is notable because Patel, Bongino and Bondi spent months promising maximum transparency. On a June episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Patel told listeners the bureau would release "everything we can" and insisted Epstein's death was suicide, even as he conceded many would "never be convinced."
Bondi has kept silent, and Bongino skipped public events on Friday. Trump, meanwhile, urged the MAGA base to "let Pam Bondi do her job" and focus on other battles. Sunday's memo followed Bondi's February pledge to release more documents — a promise critics say evaporated.
Meanwhile, Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claims the White House stopped the public release of a Justice Department review that debunks conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein's death and alleged "client list."
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