WASHINGTON (BN24) — Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi stunned reporters when she claimed the FBI was reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” allegedly showing Jeffrey Epstein with children or containing child sexual abuse imagery.
The remark, delivered first to a stranger with a hidden camera and later repeated to journalists at the White House, amplified pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to produce compelling new evidence from its promised Epstein file release.
Yet weeks later, Bondi’s assertion remains unsubstantiated.
The Associated Press interviewed multiple lawyers and law enforcement officials involved in the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases, none of whom had ever seen — or even heard of — a trove of recordings on the scale Bondi described.
Indictments and court filings never mentioned such videos, and neither Epstein nor Maxwell faced charges for possession of child sexual abuse material, an offense that prosecutors could have pursued more easily than the sex trafficking counts that ultimately brought them down.
One potential clue comes from a little-noticed 2023 court filing revealing that Epstein’s estate located unspecified videos and photos that “might contain” illegal images. But the filing was sealed under a protective order, and lawyers involved have declined to discuss it publicly.
The Justice Department has refused to answer detailed questions about Bondi’s claim, including whether the recordings were newly discovered or known to authorities for years.
“Outside sources who make assertions about materials included in the DOJ’s review cannot speak to what materials are included,” Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said in a statement.
Conservative Base Frustration After Fizzled File Release
Epstein’s crimes, celebrity ties, and jailhouse suicide have long fueled conspiracy theories that powerful people helped cover up incriminating evidence.
Bondi, tasked by Trump with overseeing the release of more files, has faced intense backlash from conservatives after an initial document dump failed to produce a promised “client list.”
In a Fox News interview this year, she teased the existence of such a list, claiming it was “sitting on my desk.” But when the White House distributed binders to right-wing influencers, much of the content was already public.
The anticlimactic release infuriated Trump’s supporters, with some demanding Bondi’s resignation and accusing her of deception.
Afterward, Bondi said an FBI “source” told her about thousands of pages of undisclosed evidence and insisted she ordered the bureau to turn over the complete Epstein files.
In April, she was confronted in a restaurant by an undercover activist with a hidden camera. Bondi doubled down, claiming there were “tens of thousands of videos — and it’s all with little kids,” and said the FBI needed to review them all.
But in public remarks, FBI Director Kash Patel did not echo that claim. Asked directly whether there was a trove of videos incriminating powerful Epstein associates, Patel dismissed the notion, saying: “If there was a video of some guy or gal committing felonies on an island and I’m in charge, don’t you think you’d see it?”
No Sign of Such Recordings in Epstein or Maxwell Cases
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in New York, cutting short the evidence discovery process.
Yet during Maxwell’s 2021 prosecution — when any such recordings would have been highly relevant — no videos were produced.
“We were never provided any of those materials,” said Maxwell defense lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca. “If they existed, I suspect we would have seen them.”
The record does show investigators found a trove of photos depicting nude or seminude girls. Search warrants for Epstein’s Manhattan mansion also uncovered sexualized images displayed in plain view.
Some accusers described feeling watched in Epstein’s homes, fueling speculation he kept hidden surveillance equipment. A 2020 Justice Department report noted police in 2005 found disconnected monitors and keyboards but said the recording devices were missing.
Despite repeated investigations, prosecutors never charged Epstein with creating or possessing child pornography.
An AP review of hundreds of documents in the Epstein and Maxwell cases found no reference to “tens of thousands” of videos of Epstein with minors.
Attorney Marc Fernich, who represented Epstein, said: “It’s not something I ever heard about.”
Estate Disclosure Adds More Questions
A separate lawsuit in the Virgin Islands and New York shed some light on potential video evidence.
In 2022, lawyers subpoenaed Epstein’s estate for recordings or photos. The estate replied it had found unspecified material that “might contain” illegal images.
A judge ordered the estate to review the materials and alert the FBI if they confirmed child sex abuse content.
The exact contents were never disclosed publicly, leaving it unclear if Bondi’s claim referred to the same material.
Jennifer Freeman, a lawyer for one Epstein accuser, recently cited Bondi’s comments in a new lawsuit and said she still does not know what evidence, if any, underpinned the claims.
“I want to know what she’s addressing,” Freeman said. “What is she talking about? I’d like to know that.”
AP
