Attorney General Pam Bondi unexpectedly canceled her appearance at CPAC\u2019s Summit Against Human Trafficking in Washington, D.C., citing a health issue. Bondi was scheduled to speak but was unable to attend due to a recently torn cornea, as shared in a statement read aloud by Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. \u201cI truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue,\u201d Bondi wrote. The audience responded with scattered applause.<\/p>\n
Galeotti, who took Bondi\u2019s place, joked about appreciating the applause instead of boos, promising to do his best to fill her role. The Justice Department has not provided further details about Bondi\u2019s condition. Other Trump administration officials at the event included Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and border czar Tom Homan.<\/p>\n
Bondi\u2019s canceled appearance comes amid criticism over the Trump administration\u2019s handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump recently directed Bondi to seek the release of more case materials after the Justice Department stated there was no \u201cEpstein client list\u201d and denied conspiracy theories about Epstein\u2019s jail suicide. Despite Bondi\u2019s willingness to petition the court to unseal documents, it remains uncertain if a judge will approve.<\/p>\n
In related news, Elon Musk defended Trump following a report about a 2003 birthday letter allegedly sent from Trump to Epstein, which featured a nude outline and a signature. Musk doubted its authenticity and wrote that it \u201creally doesn\u2019t sound like something Trump would say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump denounced the article as \u201cfalse, malicious, and defamatory,\u201d threatening legal action against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company NewsCorp. White House officials echoed these denials, calling the story a \u201chatchet job\u201d and questioning the publication\u2019s evidence.<\/p>\n