Donald Trump is reportedly getting more and more fed up with his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein drama that has consumed headlines for weeks.
Trump is frustrated that the scandal has overshadowed his agenda and dominated the news, two people familiar with his thinking told The Washington Post in a Sunday report.
Nearly a dozen sources close to the situation spoke to the Post about the issue, painting a picture of an administration adrift, lacking a clear strategy and blindsided by the intensity of the backlash—particularly from Trump’s own base. Many officials had reportedly hoped that Americans would move on from the unreleased Epstein files, underestimating the sustained outrage.
One person told the newspaper that the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, the two agencies at the center of the firestorm, “are breaking at the seams.”
“Many are wondering how sustainable this is going to be for all the parties involved—be it the FBI director or attorney general,” the source said.
The DOJ and FBI set off the furore on July 7 when they issued a joint memo stating that Epstein died by suicide and that the government does not possess any “client list” of the deceased sex offender, refuting conspiracy theories that Trump’s base has been fixated on for years. The memo said no further information would be released about Epstein, falling short on Trump’s campaign vow.
In the immediate aftermath, FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, who peddled Epstein conspiracies as a right-wing radio host, reportedly mulled quitting after a heated clash with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the White House. Bondi caught the bulk of the flak for the memo, after teasing the release of the files earlier this year.
Trump was said to be fuming privately at Bongino over his behavior at the time, even as his administration presented a united front publicly.
Trump attempted to make the backlash go away, feeding supporters claims that the whole controversy was a Democrat “hoax” and even slamming his own supporters as “weaklings” for refusing to let it go.
He also released a trove of records on the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and fervently promoted new claims from his national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard, alleging Obama administration officials were involved in a “treasonous conspiracy” against Trump. Barack Obama’s office has called the claims “ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
Three weeks on, Trump hasn’t managed to change the subject, and the clamor for the release of the Epstein files continues. Trump has also been hit by a series of media reports shedding new light on his friendship with Epstein in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s.
“He does not want to create a bigger spectacle by firing anyone,” a source told The Post.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Stephen A. Saltzburg, a former Reagan administration Justice Department official, told the newspaper the administration “completely miscalculated the fever pitch to which they built this up.”
“Now, they seem to be in full-bore panic mode, trying to change the subject and flailing in an effort to make sense of what makes no sense,” he said.
Semafor White House correspondent Shelby Talcott reported on MSNBC Sunday that there are FBI officials who still want more Epstein materials released.
“That frustration remains,” she said. “There’s still sort of this quiet debate. And then of course you have the Trump base who has been relentless in letting the president know that they are unsatisfied with how this has all happened.”
