Trump's DOJ Frustrates GOP with Delayed Document Releases

President Donald Trump promised to declassify and release thousands of pages of documents related to the hottest topics in the MAGA online world: Jeffrey Epstein files, JFK assassination Secrets, Russiagate evidence, and additional information.

Several months afterward, many of the documents are still tangled within bureaucratic red tape, and those that have been made available have largely fallen short of expectations.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has consistently promised to make public all documents related to Epstein, has faced criticism following many postponements and inconsistent communications. On February 21st, during her appearance on Fox News, she stated that the Epstein client roster was “right here on my desk ready for review,” which raised expectations for a prompt disclosure.

Speculation increased when Bondi was filmed secretly on April 28 by James O'Keefe's media organization as she discussed "thousands of Epstein videos" with others at a dining establishment. This video became widely shared after Bondi echoed these remarks to reporters on May 7, intensifying discussions among pro-MAGA supporters. skepticism , particularly since Bondi’s release of documents in February mostly included publicly available or heavily redacted material.

AG Pam Bondi Was Covertly Recorded on April 28, Revealing Previously Undisclosed Information About Epstein Regarding 'Tens of Thousands of Videos of Little Kids' to a Complete Stranger in a D.C. Restaurant

Yesterday, the Attorney General made an almost identical statement publicly after... pic.twitter.com/l1U89U9eji

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) May 8, 2025

Meanwhile, Republican members of Congress from various committees continue to await responses from the Department of Justice concerning politically sensitive inquiries linked to the Biden administration. This includes documents pertaining to records associated with these investigations. Trump-focused prosecutions , communications concerning the FBI’s management of school board protests , and internal DOJ discussions about controversial memos from the previous administration targeting religious conservatives. The delays have added to the perception that the DOJ is moving too slowly to fulfill the administration’s sweeping transparency pledge.

While rumors and allegations about Epstein’s troves of illicit recordings have circulated online for years, no court records or investigations have ever confirmed the existence of Bondi's vaguely specified "tens of thousands" of abuse videos. Law enforcement has acknowledged seizing extensive troves of CDs, hard drives, and nude photographs from Epstein’s properties, but no legal filings or case evidence to date have detailed the scale or contents of these materials beyond general references.

Last week, following the release of the undercover videos, House Republicans, spearheaded by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, started openly demanding responses from Bondi.

In a May 8 letter co-signed by Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Eric Burlison (R-MO), and Eli Crane (R-AZ), Luna demanded the DOJ release the complete Epstein files by May 16, with only minimal redactions to protect survivors. The letter also questioned whether internal or external actors are deliberately blocking the release, and it accuses Bondi's office of stonewalling congressional oversight.

"The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein as well as the American people deserve to know who among the elite protected, enabled, or participated in Jeffrey Epstein's disgusting racket," Luna said in a statement. "Our task force is demanding the full release of these files or a briefing on the status of the investigation. We work alongside the DOJ — not for it."

Burchett remains hopeful regarding the FBI, indicating his trust in Bondi is diminishing.

Burchett informed the Washington Examiner on Monday that his current level of confidence in the DOJ meeting the May 16 deadline specified in Luna’s letter is rather low.

He stated, “I believe it involves far greater complexities than anyone truly comprehends.” He continued, “While I am hopeful for an agreeable surprise, my personal view is that this matter encompasses significantly more layers than our current understanding allows.”

Burchett similarly tackled Bondi’s remarks regarding the extensive range of child exploitation content that authorities are examining. He stated, “These individuals typically possess tens of thousands of such files.” Drawing from his previous experience as a legislator targeting pedophiles in Tennessee, Burchett expressed little astonishment at the substantial number of video clips mentioned by Bondi that law enforcement has reportedly seized.

The legislator from Tennessee expressed greater trust in FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s guidance yet voiced worries over the absence of unity between DOJ leaders.

"I place complete trust in Dan Bongino; truly, I do. However, my faith in Ms. Bondi is diminishing," he stated. Although Burchett mentioned that "Bongino and [FBI Director] Kash [Patel] are working hand-in-hand," he pointed out that the relationship between the FBI and the attorney general hasn’t been as “smooth” as he anticipated.

Bongino pledges to improve transparency following complaints

On May 10, Bongino wrote an extensive post defending the agency's efforts and tackling criticisms regarding the DOJ's openness. This commentary was posted just a day following Luna’s correspondence and the Washington Examiner's query to the Department of Justice.

I want to share with you some positive developments as well as areas where we can improve and will indeed get better.

The employees have been putting in extra hours on task force missions to eliminate hazardous unlawful immigrants from the nation. This effort is ongoing. The message remains straightforward....

— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) May 10, 2025

“We’re clearing information to Congress, and the public, as quickly as possible,” Bongino wrote. “In just the couple of months since we’ve sworn in we’ve responded to requests for information on the attack on Rep. [Steve] Scalise [(R-LA)] and members of Congress, the Nashville attack, Crossfire Hurricane, the COVID cover-up and more. We are working with the DOJ on the Epstein case and, as the AG stated, there are voluminous amounts of downloaded child sexual abuse material that we are dealing with."

"There are also victim’s statements that are entitled to specific protections," Bongino added. "We need to do this correctly, but I do understand the public’s desire to get the information out there.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who has been closely monitoring the FBI’s compliance with document requests, told the Washington Examiner on Monday he has maintained regular contact with the bureau to ensure full productions are made "without unnecessary redactions."

Grassley showed gratitude for Patel’s contributions toward "increasing the Bureau’s openness" and stressed that the FBI "is constitutionally bound to comply with congressional oversight," highlighting that transparency is essential for maintaining accountability.

In the meantime, Representative James Comer, who leads the House Oversight Committee from the Republican side (R-KY), recently utilized a widely followed conservative podcast to express his views on how the anticipated release of documents related to the Epstein case has been managed.

On last week's episode of Benny Johnson's show, Comer spoke. bluntly suggested The DOJ might not possess the files at all. As stated by Comer, “If the attorney general had them, they would have been submitted.” He also suggested the theory that "deep state operatives" could have eliminated essential documents prior to Trump’s return to the White House.

Apart from Epstein, Republican members of several committees continue to await crucial documents from the Biden administration. This includes files pertaining to how the Justice Department managed cases centered around Trump, FBI reports aimed at religious conservatives, as well as correspondence connected with probes into school boards that occurred before Trump’s second term began.

Burchett stated that the other inquiries should also receive swift attention. When questioned about which areas he thinks the Department of Justice (DOJ) is neglecting, he replied with "all of them."

“It simply requires a lot of time. This is one issue the Trump administration is facing— they have only two years to accomplish everything before the midterm elections,” Burchett stated. “Should Congress delay taking action, we might never see it get approved.”

The National Archives expresses readiness to transfer documents.

A distinct investigation initiated by Republicans in Congress is requesting documents from the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Archives and Records Administration concerning potential political bias motivating the Biden administration to bring two criminal cases against Trump before the 2024 election.

A representative from NARA, run by interim Archivist and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stated. confirmed to the Washington Examiner last week it is working "as quickly as possible" to comply with a request in a letter from Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) concerning what the senators describe as the Arctic Frost investigation over alleged collusion between the Biden White House and the Biden DOJ over Trump's indictments. The letter included a May 14 deadline for a response.

"We are committed to full transparency as the Senate pursues this inquiry, and will make every effort to meet the Senators' requests," the NARA spokesperson added.

With other congressional inquiries, such as the House Judiciary Committee's requests for documents related to the DOJ’s communications with Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis, the FBI’s anti-Catholic memo, and school board monitoring policies, began months ago and still have not yielded any productions from the DOJ.

Pleasing some, frustrating others

While some Republicans such as Comer have raised concerns that Biden-era holdovers might still be influencing document release delays, the DOJ has notably fired nearly a dozen prosecutors who worked under former special counsel Jack Smith. Those prosecutors were dismissed within weeks of Trump taking office, and key communications staff tied to Smith were replaced in recent weeks. The DOJ has also moved quickly to install political appointees across senior roles, consistent with standard departmental transitions.

GOLDMAN ACCUSES BONDI OF PREVENTING RELEASE OF EPSTEIN FILES

Amid the slow progress of its transparency plans, the DOJ has sought to demonstrate aggressive action on other priorities aligned with the administration’s law-and-order agenda. Last week, the DOJ announced one of the largest fentanyl trafficking busts in recent history, a nationwide sweep of child predator arrests under Operation Restoring Justice, and a new civil rights investigation into an anti-Catholic state law in Washington.

But with key deadlines looming and Republican pressure mounting, the Trump DOJ faces a pivotal test of whether it can make good on its document release promises or whether internal inertia will erode one of the administration's signature political pledges.