“We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” This was a line from the July 2025 Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigations memo on the initial Epstien files, a memo which had been released jointly by organizations controlled by FBI Director Kash Patel and DOJ AG Pam Bondi. Now with the second set of files, even from how heavily redacted they are, we absolutely know beyond a shadow of any doubt that not only did Epstein traffic minors from himself, but that he did it for other people (such as a photo of Prince Andrew kneeling over a small girl, and the fact that Andrew settled a lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstien multiple times). When FBI director Kash Patel was asked if Epstien did in fact traffick little girls for other men, Mr. Patel replied that there was no credible information available to him at the FBI which would suggest as such. 

He has yet to be brought before Congress again, but Pam Bondi was. The Republican congressmen from Kentucky Thomas Massive pressed the head of the DOJ on what certainly seems like a coverup, with many of the perpetrators names being blacked out in the released files. Bondi tried to deflect multiple times in the hearing, pointing out that the congressmen didn’t seem to care during Biden’s presidential term. Massie spoke over her, 

“This goes over four administrations, you don't have to go back to Biden. Let’s go back to Obama, let’s go back to George bush.” 

Pam Bondi nodded in agreement and said, “Yeah, lets!"

Then she was silent as the Republican added while looking at her,

"You are responsible for this portion.” 

After Representative Jerrold Nadler asked her if any indictments were brought against any person who participated in Epstien’s sex-trafficking ring, Pam Bondi didn’t respond to the question, and instead deflected, first claiming that President Trump was the most transparent President in the nation’s history, then saying that “The Dow is over 50,000. Retirement accounts are booming. That’s what we should be talking about!” 

As an aside, perhaps I, as a writer and a United States Citizen, am not understanding the exchange. Perhaps I was not born and raised in a bureaucratic family. Perhaps I am not byzantine enough to know why when Nadler asked if there were going to be any arrests of pedophiles, and she replied to that, that Donald Trump is an honest man and money is being made in the U.S.? What sort of Hell is the United States in, when the head of the Department of Justice cannot confirm, or assert that indictments are being made to go after pedophiles?

Constitutional lawyer, former law professor Representative Jamie Raskin lectured Pam Bondi, dressing her down so soundly that a reasonable person would have enough honor to resign. 

“You [Pam Bondi] replace real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the president's bidding. Many lawyers at the DOJ, especially some of those who you appointed have refused your lawless orders. Daniel Sassoon who was your original pick for acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan resigned, rather than follow your corrupt order to quash an indictment against mayor Eric Adams as a political favor to President Trump. A Federalist Society member who clerked for Justice Scalia refused to participate in this blatantly corrupt scheme. Her top assistant, Hagen Scotten, an Iraqi war vet and two time bronze star recipient who clerked for Chief Justice Roberts and then Judge Kavanuagh, promptly resigned too. Writing to your office, quote: ‘I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward to file your motion, but it was never going to be me.’ ”

There are truly horrid things in the Epstein files, and where almost all the perpetrators names are blacked out in ink in the publicly released files, many of the victims names and faces were not. This is directly counter to the law which states that the victim's identity (underage girls) should be kept hidden, but a perpetrator has no such right. 

And for these millions of files, no arrests were made but for Epstien and Maxwell, years ago? The FBI themselves admit that over one thousand victims were sex trafficked. Wild! So To Bondi's credit, yeah! Let’s investigate the past executors of Justice in the United States from past administrations to root out every cell of corruption — but this administration being honest?? The Trump Administration sat on the files in the president’s first term, then in Biden’s term Biden sat on the files, then again in Trump’s second term through sheer pressure of American will and an act of Congress were the files released and yet none of the bad guys are being arrested? Not any?! 

Aye, maybe I was not born a bureaucrat and thus this is all just too complicated – you know, the whole protecting pedophiles thing. Even if an argument could be made that the U.S. government has been leveraging what happened on Epstein's Island as blackmail to use against the wealthy elites which engaged in horrid activities – for the protection and interests of the United States, that thusly, and logically means that those people are still allowed to live their lives as they see fit, to continue their behaviors which they were never consequences for. 

Pam Bondi and Kash Patel had the chance of a lifetime to draw out the worst corruption in memory, to stand up as some of the greats and they chose – and are choosing blindness and deafness to honor and glory. 

Austin Petak: Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.