How Trump’s Team Fumbled the Epstein Files: Binders, Blowups and a Divided MAGA

A revealing excerpt from Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, describes internal confusion and sharp clashes inside the Trump White House as officials scrambled to manage the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Background

In July, the Justice Department and FBI issued a memo saying they found no evidence of a criminal "client list" tied to Epstein’s trafficking network and confirmed that Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting federal sex‑trafficking charges. The memo was intended to tamp down speculation, but according to the book excerpt it instead intensified turmoil within the MAGA coalition and inside the administration.

‘As Bondi’s staff started distributing the binders, the blood pressure of other officials in the room skyrocketed. They had no idea what was in the handouts,’ the authors write (AFP/Getty)

Key Incidents

The authors recount a series of high‑tension episodes: then‑Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to distribute unvetted binders of Epstein‑related documents to right‑wing influencers in the White House Roosevelt Room; an explosive confrontation between Bondi and then‑FBI deputy director Dan Bongino; and multiple Situation Room meetings in which Vice President J.D. Vance expressed panic about the controversy’s potential to split the MAGA base.

“Just as President Trump has said, he’s been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Independent. “And by releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and calling for more investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, President Trump has done more for Epstein’s victims than anyone before him.”

According to the extract, Bondi’s Feb. 21, 2025 Fox News appearance — when she suggested a so‑called "client list" was "sitting on my desk" — raised expectations among MAGA activists. Six days later she reportedly handed out binders to influencers at a White House event; the binders had not been vetted by other aides and reportedly contained material referencing President Trump, prompting aides to rush the guests out and impose an embargo that came too late to prevent photos from circulating.

Bongino stepped down from the Trump administration in January, leaving his role at the FBI and returning to his MAGA podcast (Getty Images)

The book depicts Bongino as deeply frustrated by what he saw as colleagues’ complacency. After the July memo was released, he reportedly erupted at Bondi, calling her handling of the files an "egregious misstep," then later stormed out of a Situation Room meeting before ultimately remaining in his post "for Trump’s sake."

Vance, the authors say, feared the controversy was already fracturing MAGA support — especially among younger, less‑reliable voters who helped deliver the 2024 election — and privately pushed to release all Justice Department material and to encourage congressional inquiries.

Vice President JD Vance led a meeting in the White House Situation Room last summer, where he declared MAGA’s anger over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case ‘a huge problem’ for the Trump administration, according to the book (Getty Images)

Aftermath

The controversy did not dissipate. The Wall Street Journal published an account alleging President Trump drew an obscene birthday card for Epstein’s 50th birthday; Trump denied the claim and filed a $10 billion defamation suit that a judge later dismissed. Meanwhile, the binders episode and the Situation Room blowups prolonged media attention and deepened divisions among Trump allies.

The Independent contacted the Vice President’s office for comment; the book extract provides an inside look at how a politically sensitive legal controversy became an organizational and communications crisis for the administration.