Fact Check: Did Pam Bondi say Epstein files prosecution would cause 'whole system' to collapse?

WASHINGTON, DC: On January 30, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released millions of files from its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Following this, a rumor circulated online claiming that Attorney General Pam Bondi said Epstein files prosecution would cause "whole system" to collapse. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Pam Bondi says Epstein files prosecution would cause 'whole system' to collapse

A Threads user who posted Pam Bondi's alleged quote wrote, "Bondi literally sees so many criminal cases in the files, but— she chooses to do…nothing."

As per the online post, Pam Bondi said, "If we prosecute everyone in the Epstein files the whole system collapses!" 

Meanwhile, the purported quote also spread across different social media platforms, such as Facebook, X, and Instagram. An X user wrote, "Let it collapse!!" while sharing the same post.

Files released by the Justice Department included names and images of a wide range of celebrities, politicians, and even royals. However, it must be noted that inclusion in the DOJ's files, by name or likeness, is not an automatic indication of wrongdoing. 

The disgraced financier died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trail for his charges.

Fact check: False, no credible evidence to back the claim

The claims made in the online posts are false, as there is no credible evidence to prove that Pam Bondi said, "If we prosecute everyone in the Epstein files the whole system collapses!"

Searches on search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, showed no reputable reports of Bondi speaking those words. If the rumor was true, it would have been reported due to the high profile of Epstein's case.

Moreover, searches of the DOJ's news releases and speeches also did not show the quote attributed to Pam Bondi. A department spokesperson also informed Snopes that the quote "is fake and has been completely fabricated." 

Interestingly, the DOJ's release of more than 3 million files related to its investigation into Epstein had not resulted in new arrests or prosecutions so far. 

Till now, the only person besides Jeffrey Epstein to face legal action following Justice Department's investigations was Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who was once Epstein's accomplice.

Maxwell appeared before a congressional committee investigating the disgraced financier's crimes on February 9, 2026. However, she invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions that could incriminate her.  Due to this, she did not answer any questions during the hearing.