Journalist Jimmy Tobias sued for the list, which Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed was sitting on her desk in February.
WASHINGTON, DC — In February, while appearing on Fox News, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked a question about whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) would really produce the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients as President Trump had promised.
“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi said. “That’s been a directive from President Trump. I am reviewing that.”
Independent journalist Jimmy Tobias filed an expedited Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for whatever document Attorney General Bondi was referring to. DOJ, however, denied that the matter required expedited processing, and said it wouldn’t get around to processing the request until May of 2027.
Mr. Tobias sued, asking the Court to order the DOJ to produce the list if it exists. Today, Judge Randolph Moss, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, granted that request and ordered the DOJ to either produce the list or else provide a declaration stating that it doesn’t exist by January 6, 2026.
“The DOJ will have to either produce the Epstein list that Attorney General Bondi claimed to possess, or else prove that she never had it,” said Mr. Tobias. “Either way, the public will know the truth about her claims thanks to this victory.”
Under the Epstein Transparency Act passed by Congress last month, the DOJ has until December 19 to produce any unclassified files related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. However, it is unclear whether the DOJ intends to comply, and the Act does not allow the public to sue to enforce it.
In this sense, FOIA may be a more powerful tool, explains Mr. Tobias’s attorney Matt Topic, of the law firm of Loevy + Loevy.
“FOIA is a critical tool for holding government officials accountable,” says Topic. “We are pleased that the Court rejected DOJ’s attempt to drag its feet on whether an Epstein client lists exists, and whether the U.S. Attorney General told the truth on national television.”
In addition to Mr. Topic, Mr. Tobias is also represented by Merrick Wayne, and Stephen Stich Match of Loevy + Loevy.
###
