Musk Leads Right-Wing Meltdown Over Trump Admin’s Epstein Review
Elon Musk is leading an online crusade after the Department of Justice issued a statement claiming there was no proof that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein retained a “client list” or was killed.
“What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again,” Musk posted on X, along with a mock-up image of an “official Jeffrey Epstein pedophile arrest counter” stuck at zero.
Musk also tweeted an image of a guy wearing clown makeup in stages, expressing irritation that Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously promised to reveal the Epstein list, telling Fox News in February that it was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” The meme’s final image has the clown completely costumed, with the words “There is no Epstein list.”
The memo, first reported by Axios, said investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list’” and “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.”
IIt also stated that video evidence from the Manhattan jail, where Epstein was detained when he died, backed a medical examiner’s conclusion that he committed suicide. Rumors about Epstein’s alleged client list have circulated since the infamous financier died while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019, with some believing it will implicate well-known figures in sex crimes.
The memo stated that “no further disclosure” of records related to Epstein would be “appropriate or warranted.”
“We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the memo said.
IIt also said the DOJ and the FBI’s review of records found that much of it was “subject to court-ordered sealing” and that only a fraction “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial,” as the seal served only to protect victims and did not expose any additional third parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing.
“Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,” the memo continued.
Explaining the decision not to release further records, the memo stated that one of the government’s “highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims.”
It added, “Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”
Many Trump supporters echoed Musk’s outrage online.
Laura Loomer accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of “lying” about releasing materials related to the late pedophile, writing, “Who releases a statement about the Epstein files on the Sunday night of 4th of July weekend? Someone who doesn’t want you paying attention.”
MAGA influencer Chad Prather wrote on X, “Where is the Epstein info the American people were promised? You handed us a notebook and promised more was on the way. You told us it existed and now you say it doesn’t? America deserves answers.”
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck wrote, “Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago. Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list. Sorry but this is unacceptable. Was she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers.”
The anonymous X account @catturd2 told its 3.7 million followers: “So all the girls who have testified about being raped on Epstein’s island were lying and Giselle Maxwell is in prison for being the madam for nobody? Please tell this is fake news.”
Savanah Hernandez, a Turning Point USA contributor, wrote on X: “Why did Pam Bondi get in front of the entire nation and say she had the Epstein client list on her desk? She should step down as Attorney General for lying to the American public.”
In February, Bondi told Fox News that she had an alleged client list on her desk and planned to reveal it soon. The Justice Department then sent “declassified” binders to far-right influencers in the White House, although it rapidly became evident that most of the information was already public.
That catastrophe enraged conservatives and did not put an end to conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s case.
Later, Bondi stated that she had been informed of the presence of thousands of pages of previously revealed records and had directed the FBI to produce the “full and complete Epstein files,” including any films.
She stated in May that the FBI was looking at “tens of thousands of videos” of Epstein “with children or child porn.”
