Steve Bannon Knocks Jeffrey Epstein File Release 'Fiasco' by Trump DOJ

Former top adviser to President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, critiqued the release of government documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ), calling it a "fiasco."

Newsweek has reached out to the DOJ via online email form for comment.

Why It Matters

On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had teased the release of the documents in a Fox News interview, saying it would include "a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information." The release comes after Epstein died by suicide at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death sparked a wave of conspiracy theories because of his well-documented ties to some of the world's most powerful people, including presidents, royals and billionaires.

However, the first batch of documents published on the DOJ's website on Thursday consisted largely of files that have been circulating in the public domain for years. The documents did not include any major revelations about the case. Since the rollout of the documents, the lack of new information has prompted criticism, including from conservatives who support the president as well as from Trump critics.

What To Know

On Thursday, a small number of conservative influencers and political commentators received binders labeled "The Epstein Files: Phase I" while visiting the White House.

Hours later, the DOJ posted the files on its website, saying, "The first phase of declassified files largely contains documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the U.S. Government."

However, the lack of new information has since prompted criticism.

Bannon, host of the War Room podcast and a former White House chief strategist during Trump's first term, spoke on his podcast on Friday about the release of documents in which, speaking to his co-host, questioned the release calling it a "fiasco."

"Yesterday what was the problem? Pam Bondi oversold this; you had every major influencer there...it was a big disappointment. If there's information there, [FBI director] Kash Patel and [FBI deputy director] Dan Bongino are the two best guys in the world to organize this and to get it out, if it can be gotten out," Bannon said.

Bannon then asked his co-host Jack Posobiec: "The fiasco yesterday was because, in your best judgment, why did that happen?"

Posobiec responded: "I think what happened was that people expected there to be new stuff in these binders. We certainly expected there to be new stuff in these binders."

Bondi has faced pressure from Republican lawmakers to release information about Epstein.

Over the years, court documents have named people with ties to Epstein, but none has been the rumored Epstein "client list," which some people believe would link high-profile names to sex crimes. On the campaign trail, Trump had suggested he would be open to releasing such a list.

In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday, Bondi wrote that she had learned the FBI was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to Epstein that had not been disclosed to her office, though she had requested "full and complete files" related to him.

She directed Patel to "conduct an immediate investigation into why my order to the FBI was not followed."

Bannon was not the only one to critique the release as several others have spoken out.

Laura Loomer, conservative activist and Trump supporter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the public couldn't "trust the validity" of the documents because they were "released in an unprofessional manner with paid, partisan social media influencers to curate their binders for us."

Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, called the release a "debacle," adding that it had made the "the left and the right come together" online.

What People Are Saying

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday: "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."

Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of the left-leaning MeidasTouch, wrote on X on Friday: "What a joke. So the big reveal on the Epstein Files is that SOME of them were given to a group of right-wing social media operatives? They turn everything into a clown show."

Laura Loomer wrote in response to Filipkowski's post: "Today I am in agreement with @RonFilipkowski. When the left and right come together to call something out, it's time for some serious reflection."

Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, wrote on X on Thursday: "I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today... A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein's phonebook. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!"

Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, said on CNN on Thursday: "If you look at the traffic online over the Epstein release, I have never seen the left and the right come together in a moment on the debacle of what the Epstein release was today."

What Happens Next

It is unclear whether the DOJ will release additional documents related to Epstein.