Donald Trump's MAGA base is growing frustrated that Justice Department officials haven't arrested any of their political enemies or released smoking-gun evidence in high-profile cases like Jeffrey Epstein's suicide.
Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, the FBI's No. 1 and No. 2 officials, set off howls of protest Sunday when they appeared on Fox News and insisted the sex trafficking financier and former Trump pal had taken his own life while awaiting trial in jail, which contradicts a widely held conspiracy theory that he was killed to protect his high-profile clients, reported Axios.
"MAGA podcasters were delighted and later outraged when they were invited to the White House earlier this year to get supposedly new documents on Epstein's death from Attorney General Pam Bondi, only to learn that little new information was included in their beefy binders," the website reported. "Prominent voices in the movement like Laura Loomer have also demanded arrests of Biden administration officials who, in their telling, weaponized the justice system against then-candidate Trump."
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Bongino was inundated with messages of disbelief when he reiterated law enforcement's determination that Epstein had committed suicide, and Loomer told Steve Bannon's "War Room" program that Bondi – whom she referred to disparagingly as "Pam Blondi" – had failed to bring "real charges" against the president's enemies, but some MAGA conservatives are urging patience.
"The MAGA base's frustration is understandable, but if they think people like Bongino or Patel have 'gone native' then they've gone nuts," said Raheem Kassam of the MAGA-friendly National Pulse website. "Pam Bondi's early Epstein flub was a symptom of trying to do too much at once, and toss some meat to the base to keep them sated. That was silly."
"But the underlying point remains, Kash and Dan are bad-a--es at the height of their efficacy," Kassam added. "They deserve more time and more trust."
The administration has thrown some bones to the base, such as Trump's social media threats to investigate baseless campaign fraud allegations against Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen and other celebrities who endorsed Kamala Harris, but that may not be enough to satiate the MAGA movement.
"Drumbeat calls for repercussions in the Epstein case — among others — are not going anywhere, and the administration will likely have to answer to the base until some handcuffs click," Axios noted.
