President Donald Trump's White House suffered self-inflicted public relations damage in the aftermath of the highly anticipated rollout Thursday of supposedly declassified secret documents about the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, only for it to be revealed that much of the released information was already public knowledge through prior leaks and court filings or remained heavily redacted.

Attorney General Pam Bondi bore the brunt of withering criticism and ruthless mockery, not to mention calls for her resignation, from disappointed individuals across the political spectrum, according to The Independent.

Bondi, however, has countered that she was misled by federal officials about the purported contents of the so-called "Epstein Files" and even accused the FBI Field Office in New York of allegedly withholding "thousands" of pages of Epstein-related documents that were supposed to have been turned over to her.

Botched "Epstein Files" rollout

On Thursday, several prominent right-wing social media influencers were invited to the White House and were given large binders labeled "The Epstein Files: Phase 1," but hopes for damning revelations about the deceased billionaire pedophile were dashed when it was soon revealed that the binders contained nothing that was truly new or worthwhile.

The ensuing bipartisan blowback was fierce and swift, with many on the right expressing anger and disappointment while some on the left engaged in snide mockery over the PR blunder.

Much of that was aimed at AG Bondi, who amid scattered calls for resignation was variously accused of being a liar, in on the "deep state" coverup, or simply too incompetent for the job she was nominated and confirmed to do.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) quipped on CNN, "It was not a good day for the administration," and noted, "If you look at the traffic online over the Epstein release, I have never seen the left and the right come together in a moment on the debacle of [the files’ release]."

Bondi says FBI withheld records that should have been turned over

In the aftermath of the bungled "Epstein Files" release and resultant criticism, AG Bondi sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel in which she raised allegations that some elements within the Bureau had been less than fully forthcoming with her about issue.

She claimed that she'd requested the "full and complete files" on Epstein and was provided with roughly 200 pages of documents that consisted primarily of evidence lists, flight logs, and contact information for victims -- much of which had already been leaked or made available previously through court filings.

"I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents," Bondi wrote. "Late yesterday; I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession
of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein."

"Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of these files," she noted in the letter to Patel. "When you and I spoke yesterday, you were just as surprised as I was to learn this new information."

Given all of that, she set a new deadline for Friday morning for the FBI to "deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office -- including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained," and further instructed Patel to " conduct an immediate investigation into why my order to the FBI was not followed."

Patel responds

In an apparent response to AG Bondi's letter, albeit without mentioning her or Epstein, Director Patel posted on X how "The FBI is entering a new era --one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice."

"There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned -- and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued," he added. "If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them. And we will bring everything we find to the DOJ to be fully assessed and transparently disseminated to the American people as it should be."