Epstein ‘client list’ does not exist, DOJ, FBI conclude

Karoline Leavitt is asked about Epstein files

At the White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt was asked about the Epstein files and lack of release of a client list, after Pam Bondi said she had the list.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice acknowledged on Monday that Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a "client list" and said no more files related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite previous promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi. 

The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represents a public walk-back, with Bondi suggesting in a Fox News interview earlier this year that such a document was "sitting on my desk" in preparation for release.

Epstein ‘client list’ does not exist, DOJ says

Reporters asked press secretary Karoline Leavitt about the DOJ and FBI’s findings during Monday’s White House press briefing. 

What they're saying:

"This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable. And I would argue this administration has done more to lock up bad guys than certainly the previous administration," Leavitt said. "And the Trump administration is committed to truth and to transparency. That's why the attorney general and the FBI director, pledged at the president's direction, to do an exhaustive review of all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and his death. And they put out a memo and conclusion of that review." 

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Credit: Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Image)

She added: "There was material they did not release because, frankly, it was incredibly graphic and it contained child pornography, which is not something that's appropriate for public consumption, but they committed to an exhaustive investigation. That's what they did. And they provided the results of that. That's transparency." 

When pressed further on why Bondi suggested that a client list document was sitting on the Attorney General’s desk, Leavitt responded, "Yes, she was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. That's what the attorney general was referring to. And I'll let her speak for that. But again, when it comes to the FBI and the Department of Justice, they are more than committed to ensuring that bad people are put behind bars." 

Pam Bondi says Epstein client list ‘sitting on my desk right now’

The backstory:

In February, Bondi said the Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now" and she was reviewing the JFK and MLK files as well after President Donald Trump's earlier directives. 

"It's sitting on my desk right now to review," Bondi told "America Reports" host John Roberts on Friday. "That's been a directive by President Trump."

When asked if she had "seen anything," Bondi responded, "Not yet."

EARLIER: Bondi says Epstein client list 'sitting on my desk right now,' and is reviewing JFK, MLK files

Bondi herself advocated for the release of the Epstein list in 2024, telling Sean Hannity at the time, "It should have come out a long time ago." 

Trump's return to the Oval Office came with the prospect of the public finally being able to see Epstein's long-awaited "black book" amid inquiries into the deceased financier and sex trafficker.  

Epstein, a 66-year-old millionaire financier with a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and mansions around the country, died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Dig deeper:

The department’s disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation, even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion.

Conservatives who have sought proof of a government cover-up of Epstein’s activities and death expressed outrage Monday over the department's position. 

Conservative influencer Jack Posobiec posted: "We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be."