No bombshells in first release of Epstein files

United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi on Thursday released the first phase of government documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, most of the information has already been circulating online for years, including flight logs from Epstein’s plane and an address book full of redacted contact information.

Bondi also released a few additional files: a fully redacted list of masseuses and an evidence list of materials confiscated by the FBI, which included massage tables, Epstein’s boat trip logs, and nude photos of women.

Why was the release so limited? A Thursday letter from Bondi to new FBI head Kash Patel revealed Bondi had previously received about 200 pages of documents from the FBI in response to her request for all of the files related to Epstein. Bondi said she later discovered that thousands of pages of additional documents held by the FBI New York field office had not been disclosed or handed over. Bondi tasked Patel with delivering the remainder of the files to her by 8 a.m. Friday, the statement said. As of Friday afternoon, it wasn't clear if Bondi had received the files by that deadline.

Patel is also expected to investigate why Bondi’s initial request wasn’t completely fulfilled. The department promised a full release of the documents once sensitive information has been redacted to protect victims’ identities.