In a letter to Patel, the AG demanded that all rules be followed. Bondi said she got information from someone in the FBI that they were not sharing. Bondi only gave the FBI until 8 a.m. on Friday, February 28, to send the rest of the files to her office. We haven’t heard from either yet about whether that full release has happened. Pait said it would happen, though.
Patel wrote on his account on X, “The FBI is entering a new era — one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued.”
But Patel did not say when.
“If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be,” Patel said.
In a later post about a slightly different subject, Patel talked about the problem of FBI agents following through on their job promise to protect the Constitution or else.
“Stay the course and abide by our high standards, and I will always have your back. Deviate in anyway, and you will not be a part of this FBI,” Patel said.
In the letter, Patel did not blame Patel, who was sworn in as FBI Director on February 21, and acknowledged that her request for the documents predated his arrival.
“Before you came into office, I requested the full and complete files related to Jeffrey Epstein. In response to this request, I received approximately 200 pages of documents, which consisted primarily of flight logs, Epstein’s list of contacts, and a list of victims’ names and phone numbers,” she said in the letter.
“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents. Late yesterday I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein. Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of these files. When you and I spoke yesterday, you were just as surprised as I was to learn this new information,” the Attorney General said.
“By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained. There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access. The Department of Justice will ensure that any public disclosure of these files will be done in a manner to protect the privacy of victims and in accordance with law, as I have done my entire career as a prosecutor,” Bondi said.
“I am also directing you to conduct an immediate investigation into why my order to the FBI was not followed. You will deliver to me a comprehensive report of your findings and proposed personnel action within 14 days,” the Attorney General said.
