Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi should turn her attention to more pressing issues in an effort to save face after last month’s botched rollout of declassified files related to the late billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last month, Bondi’s office, in coordination with the FBI, released “phase one” of files related to Epstein, however, the rollout of the files were heavily criticized for being largely redacted and not containing any new information than what has been reported.
Bondi was also criticized for distributing binders of the files to a group of conservative “influencers” – who were seen outside of the White House posing with the materials for the press – hours before publicly releasing the files.
After the release of “phase one,” Bondi said that while she requested all materials related to Epstein, her office only received approximately 200 pages of documents and was later informed that thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein that were not previously disclosed.
Last Friday, Bondi confirmed her office received a “truckload” of documents related to Epstein from the FBI, however, has yet to release those materials.
Noting the disastrous rollout of the files last month, Pappert said Bondi should shift her focus to other issues until her office is entirely prepared to fully release the Epstein files that the public would be satisfied with, arguing that “silence” is better than publicly releasing “something bad” and unfulfilling.
“I think there are much more recent and much more devastating documents that could be released. I think [Bondi] thought let’s get that out, that way I can get some good publicity. We all said we were going to do it early. But it absolutely blew up in her face,” Pappert said on Thursday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
“The Department of Justice, especially after the last four years and with everything that DOGE is reporting on a daily basis, they’ve got their work cut out for them. There’s plenty of opportunities to get good publicity,” Pappert added.
Pappert suggested that the controversy surrounding Bondi’s failed rollout of the Epstein files can partially be attributed to the lack of change inside the DOJ so far under the new administration.
“Just because you have a good person in the leadership role of a major agency, the Department of Justice or the FBI, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everybody else in the agency is suddenly rowing in the same direction,” Pappert noted.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Pam Bondi” by Department of Justice.
