What's next in the Jeffrey Epstein saga? Trump's justice department sends mixed messages

In the days since Pam Bondi's exit from Donald Trump's justice department, Jeffrey Epstein survivors and transparency advocates have been confronted by mixed messaging, prompting questions about whether a full accounting of his crimes would ever be revealed.

Legal veterans told the Guardian that authorities' decisions – such as Bondi's failure to appear for a congressional subpoena about her handling of Epstein investigative files – portend poorly for accountability. Moreover, her replacement's comments about the status of Epstein investigations has been perceived by some as an effort to acknowledge prior missteps without presenting definitive solutions.

Bondi's non-appearance at her scheduled congressional deposition did not come as a surprise.