MAGA backlash over ‘botched’ Epstein probe

Elon Musk joins conspiracy theorists questioning a joint investigation by the FBI and Department of Justice that finds no evidence the pedophile kept a blackmail list.

Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Picture; AFP.

Conspiracy theorist allies of President Donald Trump have reacted with suspicion after an official investigation found “no credible evidence” that convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein kept a list of prominent people to blackmail.

The joint investigation by the FBI and Department of Justice also found that no one entered the area of the Manhattan prison where he was being held the night he died, dispelling doubts that he had committed suicide.

Epstein was discovered dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre on August 10, 2019, as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The idea that Epstein’s crimes also implicated government officials, celebrities and business leaders – and that someone killed him to conceal their identities – has long been a prevailing theory online.

The latest findings by the Justice Department and FBI, which were leaked to the Axios news site, have led to a backlash from key voices in Mr Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.

During last year’s election, Mr Trump said he would have “no problem” releasing more files related to Epstein if he returned to the White House. In an interview with Lex Fridman, a computer scientist turned podcaster, Mr Trump said it was “very interesting” that a “list of clients” who visited Epstein’s island had not been made public – promising he would “certainly take a look at it”.

Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were charged separately with sex trafficking. Picture; AFP.

Among those who questioned the official version of how the disgraced financier died were Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, now the director and deputy director of the FBI. Both have subsequently said Epstein committed suicide.

In late February, US Attorney-General Pam Bondi announced the release of “bombshell” new evidence about Epstein’s connection to powerful figures.

However, the evidence published on the Justice Department website included documents that had already been made public through civil litigation or freedom of information requests. Ms Bondi told Fox News at the time that a client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”.

Among the figures outraged by the finding that there was never a list to begin with was Elon Musk, the former Trump adviser who fell out with the President in May.

On Monday Mr Musk posted on X a series of memes suggesting there had been a cover-up. He asked: “What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again.”

Mr Musk previously claimed the reason the department had not released the Epstein files was because Mr Trump featured in them. He later apologised for the comment.

🤬 pic.twitter.com/Oe9jPGoQRR

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 7, 2025

Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist with links to Mr Trump, called for Ms Bondi’s resignation over “her botched handling of the Epstein file release”. Ms Loomer is among those to suggest the timing of the memo’s publication – late on the Sunday of the July 4 holiday weekend – suggested the administration was trying to bury bad news.

MAGA influencer Chad Prather, who was previously given access to the batch of released Epstein documents at the White House, criticised the latest developments.

“Where is the Epstein info the American people were promised? You handed us a notebook and promised more was on the way,” he said. “You told us it existed and now you say it doesn’t? America deserves answers.”

Todd Starnes, a conservative commentator, said: “The FBI and DoJ now say there was no Epstein list nor were any political figures blackmailed. They also say Epstein killed himself. Just one little problem – Attorney-General Pam Bondi announced on one of her multitude of Fox News appearances that the files were literally sitting on her desk.”

One MAGA figure said: “The base are losing their minds over this.”

The latest investigation found no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”. It examined footage of Epstein’s prison cell between about 10.40pm on August 9, 2019, when he was locked inside, and about 6.30am the next day, when he was found unresponsive.

“The FBI enhanced the relevant footage by increasing its contrast, balancing the colour and improving its sharpness for greater clarity and viewability,” the two-page memo said. It added that the video supported a medical examiner’s finding that the financier committed suicide – a ruling supported by the Justice Department during Mr Trump’s first term.

Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime girlfriend and co-conspirator, ran one of the most prolific and wide-reaching sex trafficking rings in history. The pair flew victims – the youngest of whom was aged 14 – to Epstein’s various homes to be abused by the financier.

Some of Epstein’s friends and associates, such as Prince Andrew, were also accused of sexual assault. Andrew chose to settle a civil lawsuit over the allegation but has always denied the claim.

When Mr Musk accused Mr Trump of involvement, the President posted a statement from former Epstein lawyer David Schoen saying he was not implicated in any crime. Mr Schoen represented Mr Trump in his first impeachment trial.

According to the records, Mr Trump flew eight times on Epstein’s plane between 1993 and 1997, most of the time to and from Teterboro airport near New York. The presence of an individual on the logs, however, does not necessarily imply involvement in any illegal activities and many of those listed have denied flying on the jet.

The Times