'Will release everything': Trump shifts stance as report claims FBI 'redacted' his name from Epstein files

Trump-Epstein

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to release “everything” related to a document that has sparked widespread attention, including among his own supporters, after a Bloomberg report alleged that the FBI deliberately redacted his name from the recently reviewed Epstein files.

This statement came just days after Trump downplayed the growing interest in the case, questioning his supporters' “fascination” with it and dismissing it as “pretty boring stuff.”

What does the report reveals? 

In March, during a review of around 100,000 pages of records, nearly 1,000 FBI agents were instructed to flag any mentions of Donald Trump at the request of Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to Bloomberg, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The redacted documents were later sent to Bondi, who informed Trump in May that his name appeared in the files. The review team made redactions before the Justice Department and FBI concluded last month that further releases were neither necessary nor appropriate.

The government maintained that Trump, a private citizen during the Epstein investigation, is protected under privacy laws. The Department of Justice stated that although Trump’s name appeared in Epstein’s contact book and flight logs, no evidence linked him to criminal activity.

Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged in 2019 with trafficking minors, later died in jail—a development that fueled widespread conspiracy theories about unidentified “clients” mentioned in official documents.

“The whole thing is a hoax. They ran the files. I was running against somebody who ran the files. If they had something, they would have released," Trump said earlier this week.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to declassify all government records related to Epstein. Pam Bondi, before being nominated as Attorney General by Trump, also advocated for transparency, saying names should only remain private if they belonged to a child, victim, or cooperating witness.

FBI Director Kash Patel also assured the Senate that the public would learn the full truth. On February 27, Bondi held a publicized White House event unveiling the “first phase” of Epstein file releases. Attendees received binders titled The Epstein Files, which were largely drawn from material already released during Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 trial.

The lack of new revelations despite the presence of names like Trump and his wife Melania led to disappointment, with some critics calling the release a staged publicity stunt.

Frustrated MAGA supporters have since called for the removal of Bondi, Patel, and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, accusing them of failing to fulfill promises of full disclosure.