Few Americans Trust the DOJ’s Conclusions on Jeffrey Epstein

The Justice Department's announcement last week that there was no rumored Jeffrey Epstein “client list” and that officials would not release investigatory files sparked public backlash from distinct portions of the MAGA base, many of whom sounded perplexed by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s reneging on a promised release of “truck loads” of new information.

There’s no evidence that the episode has hurt President Donald Trump’s popularity, but that doesn’t mean voters — including Republicans — have much faith in the Justice Department’s findings.

The bottom line

A number of high-profile figures in the president’s political movement and conservative voices on the likes of Fox News spoke with rare criticism of the Trump administration’s approach to the Epstein matter over the weekend. Dan Bongino, who traded his right-wing podcast duties to serve as deputy director of the FBI, even skipped work amid a rift with Bondi over the matter and left himself in limbo with the president, according to CNN.

But for all of the discontent within the MAGA base, it’s not showing up in the president’s numbers. Our latest tracking survey showed he’s improved his approval rating among GOP voters over the past week, from 85% to 89%. 

It’s a similar story for Bondi, the target of much of the outrage, who is effectively as popular with Republicans now as she was in January, ahead of her confirmation.

According to our latest survey, 62% of Republican voters approve of how Bondi has conducted herself as attorney general, down just 2 percentage points from several months ago, while just 12% disapprove, up 4 points over that time frame. For comparison, Bondi’s numbers are in line with two other Cabinet officials who have courted controversy this year.

While the Epstein case doesn’t yet seem to be weighing on top Republican officials politically, there is still risk here — especially given Democrats’ efforts to keep the issue front and center with their pushes to require Bondi to release all records related to Epstein.

But for Bondi and other Trump deputies weathering political storms, these data points underline the lack of public pressure on Cabinet officials this year — as long as they remain in Trump’s good graces.