The US Justice Department and FBI are struggling to contain the fallout and appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Donald Trump's base after the administration's decision this week to withhold records from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
The move, which included the acknowledgement that one particular sought-after document never existed in the first place, sparked a contentious conversation between Attorney-General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino at the White House earlier this week — threatening to shatter relations between the two law enforcement leaders. It centred in part on a news story by a conservative outlet that described divisions between the FBI and the Justice Department.
The cascade of disappointment and disbelief arising from the refusal to disclose additional, much-hyped records from the Epstein investigation lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they themselves had stoked with claims of a cover-up and hidden evidence.
Infuriated by the failure of officials to unlock, as promised, the secrets of the so-called "deep state," Trump supporters on the far right have grown restless and even demanded change at the top.
Tensions that simmered for months boiled over on Monday when the Justice Department and FBI issued a two-page statement saying that they had concluded that Epstein did not possess a "client list," even though Bondi had intimated in February that such a document was sitting on her desk. The statement also said that they had decided against releasing any additional records from the investigation.
The department did disclose a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself in jail, but even that raised eyebrows of conspiracy theorists because of a missing minute in the recording.
It was hardly the first time Trump administration officials have failed to fulfil their pledge to deliver the evidence they expected.
In February, conservative influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" and "Declassified" that contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain.
After the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were poring over a "truckload" of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI.
But after a months-long review of evidence in the government's possession, the Justice Department determined in the memo Monday that no "further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," the memo says. The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and "only a fraction" of it "would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial."
The Trump administration had hoped that that statement would be the final word on the saga, with Trump chiding a reporter who asked Bondi about the Epstein case at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
On Friday, far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is close to Trump, posted on X that she was told Bongino was "seriously thinking about resigning" and had taken the day off to contemplate his future. Bongino is normally an active presence on social media but has been silent since Wednesday.
The FBI did not respond to a request seeking comment and the White House sought in a statement to minimise any tensions.
"President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims," said spokesman Harrison Fields.
"This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all."