'Never fully went away': Fox's David Spunt says Epstein controversy shadowed Pam Bondi until exit

WASHINGTON, DC: A dramatic shake-up inside the Trump administration has put fresh scrutiny on Pam Bondi's exit, with Fox News' justice correspondent David Spunt saying she had been “on thin ice for a long time.”

Speaking on Thursday, April 2, Spunt pointed directly to the lingering controversy around the Epstein files, suggesting the issue ultimately sealed her fate despite her long-standing ties with President Donald Trump.

Pam Bondi's long-standing Trump ties didn't shield her from scrutiny

Spunt laid out how the controversy refused to fade, explaining, “Well, we knew that Pam Bondi was on thin ice for a long time with this administration,” even as he acknowledged her “personal close relationship” with Trump.

He added context to that relationship, noting, “She’s known him for years; she was his attorney during his impeachment trial in the Senate during his first term.”

But that connection, he suggested, wasn’t enough to offset internal dissatisfaction.

“We know administration officials were not happy with the way the Epstein files were handled,” Spunt said, stressing that the issue had “really hurt the attorney general since she came into office in February of 2025.”

The controversy intensified early on. Spunt recalled how Bondi initially said “the Epstein files were on her desk,” before later clarifying she was referring more broadly to “the JFK files, the RFK files, and Martin Luther King files, as well as the Epstein files.”

Even with that clarification, he noted, “there were so many more questions just about the overall handling of the Justice Department dealing with the Epstein files.”

A controversy that 'never fully went away'

According to Spunt, the situation only worsened over time rather than settling down.

“The Epstein files story never fully went away from Bondi,” he said, pointing to a summer announcement from the Department of Justice stating “there would be nothing further warranted, no charges would be filed,” effectively closing the case.

He also highlighted renewed attention after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell, calling her a “convicted co-conspirator,” which kept the issue alive politically and publicly.

The pressure was set to peak with Bondi scheduled to testify before Congress. 

“Bondi was supposed to testify in just a couple of weeks,” Spunt noted, adding bluntly, “so she clearly will no longer have to do that.”

Even lawmakers, he said, were growing frustrated. 

“Members of Congress were not satisfied with the answers they were getting,” Spunt explained, highlighting how the unresolved questions continued to shadow her leadership.