Republican strategist Karl Rove said in a new opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, “there’s hell to pay” surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the saga around the Epstein files.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino—all members in good standing of MAGA world—said there was no client list of powerful figures in politics, finance and media,” Rove wrote in his Wednesday piece.
“They also confirmed Epstein wasn’t killed by a Deep State hit squad at midnight in a federal prison but committed suicide. Many in MAGA reacted with incredulity and anger at Mr. Trump, the attorney general and the FBI leadership. There’s hell to pay when those who hyped the conspiracy have closed the books on the case,” he added.
Right-wing influencers who had long pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein turned their fury toward the Trump administration, especially Attorney General Pam Bondi, due to a recent Justice Department memo that dispelled many of the theories.
Last week, President Trump admonished and sought to distance himself from backers who have pushed for additional information about documents related to Epstein.
In a Truth Social post, the president dismissed the uproar due to the Epstein files as a “scam” pushed by Democrats and suggested he no longer welcomed his supporters who have called for extra transparency around the documents.
“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls‑‑‑,’ hook, line, and sinker,” Trump said in his post. “They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House, the FBI and Justice Department for comment.
