Now the top democrat is demanding answers from the Ministry of Justice in a series of letters to high-ranking officials in the Trump administration.
"My staff has been informed that employees were instructed to 'flag' all documents where President Trump is mentioned" writes Richard Durbin in a letter to Justice Minister Pam Bondi, FBI chief Kash Patel and Vice FBI chief Dan Bongino.
According to the whistleblower, around 1,000 employees have been tasked with combing through around 100,000 documents related to the Epstein investigation.
Changed their minds about the "customer list"
In February, Justice Minister Pam Bondi was asked by Fox News if she would make public the notorious "customer list" with names of people who participated in Epstein's abuse. She then replied that the list was on her desk. Later, she changed her mind and meant that she was referring to court documents about Epstein and not any list. In July, the Ministry of Justice claimed that there is no customer list.
In his letter to Pam Bondi, Richard Durbin, who is the second most senior member of the Justice Committee, asks why she changed her statement from February.
Durbin also asks FBI chief Kash Patel why his stance on the Epstein case has completely changed since he took over as FBI chief.
Both Patel and Vice Chief Dan Bongino have previously spread theories that the government tried to cover up the Epstein case to protect high-ranking politicians involved in a pedophile scandal, reports NBC.
A week ago, Patel wrote on X that the conspiracy theories were not true and that they had never been.
Suing the media mogul
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published information that Donald Trump in 2003 should have sent a "dirty" birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday. The letter should contain text framed by the contours of a naked woman and the signature "Donald" resembling pubic hair. The letter ends: "Happy birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret", according to the newspaper.
Donald Trump has since the charges against Epstein in 2019 tried to downplay the relationship he had with the financier.
In response to the Wall Street Journal's publication, Trump has filed a lawsuit against the newspaper's owner Rupert Murdoch, his company and two reporters. Trump accuses the article of being untrue and demands the media mogul pay nearly 100 million kronor.
Markus Botsjö/TT
Timeline: The Maga conflict over Jeffrey Epstein
TT
July 2019: Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is charged with human trafficking in New York, accused of exploiting dozens of underage girls. Shortly thereafter, he is found dead in his cell. According to the coroner, the cause of death is suicide.
August 2019: Donald Trump accuses Bill and Hillary Clinton of being involved in Epstein's death. Maga accounts on social media spread information that liberal celebrities participated in the billionaire's abuse.
January 2024: Court documents that identify people in Epstein's circle are made public. Among the names are Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but neither of them is accused of any crime.
February 2025: Fox News asks Justice Minister Pam Bondi if she will make public a notorious "client list", with names of people who were involved in Epstein's abuse. Bondi replies that the list is on her desk. Later, she will say that she meant the court documents about Epstein, not the list.
July 2025: The Ministry of Justice says that Epstein did not have a client list and that no more documents related to the investigation will be made public. Media personalities on the right are furious. Vice FBI chief Dan Bongino considers resigning. Trump calls for calm.
