Pam Bondi’s Big Epstein Bluff

By Cliff Potts, WPS.News — 19 Jul 2025, 0700

So Attorney General Pam Bondi swaggered into Washington like she was Eliot Ness in four-inch heels, promising to haul out “truck-loads” of Jeffrey Epstein dirt. She waved a mysterious “client list” like a blackjack dealer teases an ace, and MAGA Nation cheered. Then February’s first “document dump” hit the table: pages so redacted they looked like a Rorschach test for inkblots. Even the die-hards groaned. (Stein, 2025) (The Washington Post)

Fast-forward to July. The Justice Department finally admits the obvious: no client list, no new bombshells, just the same old grime we’ve sniffed for years. Bondi’s own memo says Epstein killed himself and the paper trail ends there. That sound you hear is thousands of conspiracy-flavored podcasts bursting like cheap balloons. (PBS NewsHour, 2025) (PBS)

Enter Dan Bongino, the former “deep-state” podcaster now wearing an FBI badge. Bongino stomped into the White House and let Bondi know—loudly—that he felt double-crossed. Sources say he stormed out, muttering about resigning. In Chicago we’d call that “taking your ball and going home.” (Axios, 2025) (Axios)

Instead of steadying the ship, Bondi decided to toss the base some red meat. She killed a fraud case against a Utah plastic surgeon who swapped COVID vaccine for saline and sold fake vax cards. Apparently the doc was a “hero” for offering “choice.” Translation: Bondi needed a quick win with the anti-mandate crowd. (Reuters, 2025) (Reuters)

But the backlash kept boiling. A whistle-blower popped up, waving texts that claim DOJ brass planned to ignore court orders about sealed Epstein files. Bondi’s camp calls the guy “a leaker,” which is Washington-speak for “he’s got receipts we don’t like.” (Yahoo News, 2025) (Yahoo News)

Meanwhile, Donald Trump blasted out a Truth Social ALL-CAPS pep talk: “LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB—SHE’S GREAT!” MAGA influencers didn’t get the memo. They’re tweeting #FireBondi faster than you can say “lock her up.” The right-wing civil war is now in full view, and Bondi’s the piñata. (CBS News, 2025) (CBS News)

Why it matters (and why you should care)
Bondi’s stumble isn’t just some Beltway soap opera. It’s a neon sign flashing who really runs the show. Promise the mob a spectacle, fail to deliver, and they’ll eat you alive—no matter how many culture-war freebies you hand out.

For the rest of us, the lesson is older than City Hall: when a politician claims they’re sitting on a bombshell, check the fuse. The Epstein story still reeks, but Bondi just proved you can’t clean up corruption with press releases, and you sure can’t run a justice system on Internet rumor.

In the words of my old drinking buddy Slats Grobnik: “You promise steak, you better not serve Spam.” Right now Bondi’s menu is looking mighty pink and gelatinous.

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References

Axios. (2025, July 11). Epstein files fallout: FBI’s Dan Bongino clashes with AG Pam Bondi. (Axios)
CBS News. (2025, July 12). Trump posts message of support for Bondi amid Epstein probe fallout. (CBS News)
PBS NewsHour. (2025, July 7). Epstein client list doesn’t exist, DOJ says. (PBS)
Reuters. (2025, July 12). Attorney General Bondi drops COVID-vaccine fraud case. (Reuters)
Stein, P. (2025, July 7). Justice Department says no “client list” exists in Epstein files. The Washington Post. (The Washington Post)
Yahoo News. (2025, July 10). Bondi hit by high-level whistle-blower amid Epstein backlash. (Yahoo News)