U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing a medical issue, abruptly canceled her appearance at an anti-trafficking event amid public outcry over her handling of the Epstein files and renewed scrutiny over President Trump’s relationship with the disgraced financier.
Bondi was expected to speak at CPAC’s Summit Against Human Trafficking on Wednesday before Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti took to the stage to reveal she could no longer attend.
“I do have a note from the attorney general, from Attorney General Pam Bondi, that I wanted to share,” he told attendees before reading her statement.
“I’m sorry to miss all of my CPAC friends today,” Bondi’s statement said. “Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you. I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue.”
The announcement came some 90 minutes before The Wall Street Journal published a report, alleging Bondi informed Trump during a sit-down in back May that his name repeatedly appeared in the Epstein files. That means their meeting occurred just weeks before the Justice Department released a memo declaring that, after a lengthy review of all evidence available, there is “no incriminating client list” or proof Epstein blackmailed prominent people as part of his alleged actions.
It further noted that no more files related to the case — other than a video meant to prove that Epstein died by suicide — would be made public.
The subsequent backlash was fierce, with critics calling for Bondi’s head. Trump has, meanwhile, repeatedly come to his attorney general’s defense while trying to quell his angry base. Many of them have pointed out the President’s past vows to make public the Epstein files, and his recent hesitation to do so has sparked questions about his involvement with the financier.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House on June 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Further fueling the fire, the Wall Street Journal also recently published a report on a collection of letters gifted to Epstein, one of them allegedly penned by Trump. The note, contained in a bound collection given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, apparently included a drawing of a naked woman with his signature written across her pelvis in a way that appeared to mimic pubic hair.
“A pal is a wonderful thing,” Trump wrote to Epstein, per the WSJ. “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump denied writing the birthday note and has since sued the Journal over its report.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung on Wednesday also denied the Journal’s latest bombshell in a statement to Newsweek.
“The fact is that the President kicked him out of his [Mar-a-Lago] club for being a creep,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about.”
Originally Published: July 24, 2025 at 8:52 AM EDT
