The Department of Justice (DOJ) released documents about Jeffery Epstein on Thursday, but they contain less new information than Attorney General Pam Bondi and others expected.

The Details: A group of conservative influencers, including the DC Draino account owner Rogan O’Handley, Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik, and podcaster Liz Wheeler, left the White House carrying binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.” However, most of the information in the binders was either heavily redacted or previously released.

The Context: Epstein died in prison in 2019 awaiting trial for federal sex trafficking charges. Documents released in January 2024 named nearly 150 people associated with Epstein in some way, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Mitch McConnell, and others.

How The Media Covered It: The New York Post (Lean Right) quoted Wheeler from her livestream, saying, “We’re all waiting for bombshells…That’s not what’s in this binder at all.” Time (Lean Left) wrote that the release garnered “criticism from some Republicans,” including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL). Luna wrote on X, “THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment.” Newsweek (Center) focused on a response letter Bondi sent to FBI director Kash Patel stating that though a source in the FBI acknowledged thousands of documents in its possession, the “FBI never disclosed the existence of the files” to Bondi. Her letter instructed the FBI to deliver the documents to her by Friday morning and directed Patel to investigate why she did not receive them sooner.