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By Jordan King
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A petition calling for U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign now has more than 29,000 signatures in the wake of the backlash to how she and the Donald Trump administration have handled the Jeffrey Epstein files.
While the petition was not started over the current Epstein scandal, it has received a significant uptick in signatures over the past week, while the controversy has dominated headlines and social media.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Justice (DOJ), via online contact form, for comment.
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Why It Matters
The petition was started over the perceived erosion of the DOJ's independence under Bondi's tenure.
Critics argue that Bondi has acted primarily as a figurehead, allowing White House adviser Stephen Miller to influence key departmental decisions despite his lack of legal training, citing a New York Times report that came out in May calling her a "TV messenger."
The piece quoted the Department of Justice's former pardon lawyer Elizabeth Oyer, who was fired for refusing to grant gun ownership rights to actor Mel Gibson.
"The decisions are being made at the White House, and then they're being pushed down to the Department of Justice, which is very, very atypical," Oyer said.
But, over the last seven days, while Bondi has faced renewed scrutiny following the announcement from the DOJ and the FBI saying that Epstein committed suicide, that there was no client list and no evidence of Epstein blackmailing powerful figures, more than 2,000 people have added their signatures.
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The FBI and DOJ memo has drawn backlash from both Democrats and Trump's MAGA base, who had expected more transparency, especially after Bondi fueled speculation about a client list in February, answered a question about the client list by saying: "It's on my desk right now."
One supporter of the petition, Linda P. from Indiana, commented: "Bondi said that the Epstein client list was sitting on her desk, but now it doesn't exist. She cannot be trusted to head the DOJ."
Amanda S, from Louisiana, said: "I'm sick of the lies and cover up." Kim T. from Maryland described what has happened with the Epstein files as "an act of prestidigitation that is unacceptable."
Bondi did go on to release Epstein files, but they were full of information that has been in the public domain for years.
MAGA activist Laura Loomer is one of several major MAGA figures who has demanded Bondi's immediate resignation.
"Pam Blondi is very damaging to President Trump's image. She drags the administration down and the base doesn't want her as AG," Loomer wrote in a post on X. "She is harming Trump's administration and she's embarrassing all of his staff and advisors by creating a PR crisis for them. It's incredibly unfair to President Trump and his team."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump addressed a reporter questioning Bondi about the Epstein files: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this where we're having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration."
Trump defended Bondi in a post on Truth Social on Saturday night, saying: "What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it's Epstein, over and over again.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said: "All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo. The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo's composition and release is patently false."
What Happens Next
The Trump administration is under growing pressure to address demands for transparency over the Epstein files.
It all comes ahead of the November midterms, which top MAGA figure Steve Bannon has warned could see Trump losing seats over the Epstein files.
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