Trump frustrated at having to take the heat for Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein files

Trump has grown weary of defending Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Justice Department's Jeffery Epstein files and wants her to take responsibility for cleaning up the mess, according to four people familiar with White House deliberations.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has grown weary of defending Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Justice Department's Jeffery Epstein files and wants her to take responsibility for cleaning up the mess, according to four people familiar with White House deliberations.

"One thing that's been clear is his feelings about it," one White House official told NBC News. "This now resides within the DOJ."

Another senior White House official said they believed that the situation had "stabilized" when asked about the White House's view of Bondi's performance.

The administration's refusal to disclose the full contents of the government's investigation into Epstein, who killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on charges of sex-trafficking minors in 2019, has caused a deep rift between Trump and significant elements of his MAGA base.

Bondi is not in danger of losing her job because she is loyal and well-liked by the president and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, these sources, as well as a person who is close to the White House said, but Trump is no longer interested in taking heat for her.