California Governor Gavin Newsom just delivered a masterclass in political trolling—and Attorney General Pam Bondi was the unlucky target.
Newsom’s team posted an edit Sunday of President Trump’s now-viral moment from Friday, when the 79-year-old interrupted a meeting with oil executives to wander over to a window and gaze at the construction site for his $400 million White House ballroom. “Wow, what a view,” Trump said.
But in Newsom’s version? The window shows footage of a younger Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein at Mar-a-Lago in 1992.
The caption: “PAM BONDI, RELEASE THE FILES!”
THE DETAILS: This isn’t just a sick burn—it’s a pointed reminder of the administration’s broken promises on the Epstein documents.
Trump, who spent years amplifying conspiracy theories about an international pedophilic cabal and even suggested Epstein’s 2019 death was orchestrated by his political enemies, promised voters full transparency on the case.
That promise? Completely abandoned.
Bondi herself claimed the alleged Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk” awaiting review. Then the DOJ and FBI conveniently determined that Epstein’s death was a suicide and—surprise—no such client list exists. Bipartisan legislation passed in November required the release of remaining case files by December 19, but as of January, the Justice Department has released just 1 percent of the total documents.
Bondi has been conspicuously absent from public view since that deadline passed.
BUT BUT BUT: The administration isn’t just sitting quietly on the Epstein files. Critics say they’re actively “flooding the zone”—generating maximum chaos to bury scandals they can’t spin.
Since the December deadline, Trump has ordered strikes in Nigeria, captured Venezuela’s leader in a surprise raid, ramped up deportations, defended the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent, pushed to investigate the Federal Reserve chairman, and threatened military action against everyone from Iran to Greenland.
It’s almost like they don’t want you paying attention to whose names are in those files.
WHY IT MATTERS: Trump was a known associate of both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s currently serving 20 years for her role in the sex trafficking operation.
Reports indicate the president’s name features prominently in the unreleased case files, which would explain the administration’s sudden lack of enthusiasm for transparency on an issue they once weaponized against political opponents.
Newsom’s video is funny, sure. But it’s also a direct challenge: if there’s nothing to hide, release the files. The fact that Bondi has gone underground while the administration manufactures international crises tells you everything you need to know about what might be in those documents.