• Pro-Trump podcaster and former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan called the "drain the swamp" promise a lie in a blistering video posted to X on Monday
• Ryan's criticism follows Attorney General Pam Bondi's combative House Judiciary Committee hearing where she cited Dow Jones gains instead of addressing Epstein prosecutions
• Bipartisan lawmakers including Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna have accused the DOJ of failing to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — Former Navy SEAL and popular podcaster Shawn Ryan unloaded on the Trump Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi in a scorching video posted to X Monday, accusing the administration of protecting pedophiles rather than prosecuting them after the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Ryan, who openly supported Donald Trump's 2024 presidential bid and previously interviewed both Trump and Vice President JD Vance on his show, directed his fury at Bondi's recent appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, where she deflected questions about the Epstein investigation by touting stock market gains.

Pam Bondi, the Epstein files, “aliens are real”… and what’s that other guy’s name again? pic.twitter.com/fXpMyJSING

— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) February 16, 2026

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"Nobody gives a f*ck. What you should be talking about is how you are going to investigate and prosecute any pedophiles that are running around on Epstein Island that you're affiliated with."

Ryan Questions 'Drain The Swamp' Promise Over Epstein Files

The podcaster's frustration went beyond Bondi and targeted the administration's broader handling of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan law Trump signed in November 2025 that required the DOJ to release all unclassified Epstein-related documents within 30 days.

"Well, you know what that sounds like? That sounds like how Trump ran his campaign: 'Let's drain the swamp.' Doesn't that sound a lot like draining the swamp? It actually is drain the swamp served up to you on a f*cking silver platter but you're not gonna take it, are you? You're gonna protect pedophiles!"

Ryan then broadened his attack to the administration as a whole.

"I guess the whole drain the swamp campaign promise was another fcking bullsht lie, huh? Man, the lies are stacking up fast. I've never seen so many fcking lies appear in, what, a year? It's only been a fcking year! Look at all the f*cking lies!"

This is not Ryan's first public clash with the Trump administration over the Epstein files. In a January podcast episode with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ryan expressed similar outrage, stating he voted specifically to get the files released and felt the administration had done a complete reversal.

"I fcking voted for this sht. I voted to get these damn files released, and it's like a total 180 just happened."

Bondi's Combative Hearing Fuels Frustration Across Epstein Files Debate

Ryan's eruption follows Bondi's Feb. 11 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, a marathon hearing that devolved into shouting matches as the attorney general dodged questions about the DOJ's handling of the Epstein documents. When Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) pressed Bondi on the lack of indictments against possible Epstein co-conspirators, Bondi pivoted to economic talking points.

"The Dow is over 50,000 right now. That's what we should be talking about."

Epstein survivors sat in the hearing room behind Bondi throughout the five-hour session. When Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) asked them to raise their hands if they had been unable to meet with DOJ officials, every survivor raised their hand. Jayapal then asked Bondi to turn around and apologize. Bondi refused, calling the request "theatrics."

The criticism was not limited to Democrats. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act alongside Khanna, told Bondi her department's compliance was a "massive failure."

"Literally the worst thing you could do to the survivors, you did."

Massie pointed out the DOJ had exposed victim identities while simultaneously redacting the names of powerful figures, including Les Wexner, who was listed in files as a co-conspirator. Bondi responded by calling Massie a "failed politician" with "Trump derangement syndrome."

In a Sunday interview on ABC's "This Week," Massie offered a blunt assessment of Bondi's performance and a pointed message about the administration.

"I don't think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi. She wasn't confident enough to engage in anything but name-calling in a hearing."

Massie went further, telling ABC News that the administration remains aligned with powerful interests connected to Epstein rather than pursuing accountability.

"He's still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration."

DOJ Claims Full Compliance as Critics Disagree Over Epstein Files

On Saturday, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a letter to congressional leaders claiming the DOJ had released "all" Epstein-related files and fulfilled its obligations under the Transparency Act. The letter included a list of "politically exposed persons" named in the files — a roster that includes Trump, Joe Biden, Mark Zuckerberg, Tucker Carlson, Jeff Bezos, and Barack Obama, among many others.

The DOJ has released approximately 3.5 million pages of documents, but the department has acknowledged possessing more than six million total. Democrats and some Republicans argue the remaining half constitutes a violation of the law. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has accused Bondi of running a "massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice."

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Ryan also took aim at lawmakers who have expressed shock at what they viewed in unredacted Epstein documents but have not taken public action, demanding they use the protections of congressional speech to disclose what they know.

"Get to f*cking work. Permission granted!"

He reserved a separate blast for Obama, who recently discussed extraterrestrial life in a podcast appearance amid the Epstein revelations.

"Right in the middle of the biggest pedophile ring exposed in the f*cking world, all of a sudden, we're gonna drop that aliens are real?"

Growing MAGA Base Dissent Over Epstein Files Accountability

Ryan's criticism represents a growing fissure within Trump's own coalition over the Epstein files. He joins figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Joe Rogan, and conservative media personalities who have publicly challenged the administration's handling of the documents. A recent poll cited by CNN showed Americans disapprove of the administration's approach to the Epstein files by a roughly three-to-one margin.

The dissatisfaction is not limited to the Epstein saga. In a separate February podcast episode, Ryan criticized Trump's "no new wars" promise, listing Venezuela, Ukraine, Iran and Gaza as conflicts that have escalated during the administration's first year.

With the DOJ maintaining its position that all files have been released and no further prosecutions are imminent, the gap between campaign rhetoric and governing reality continues to widen — and the loudest voices calling it out are coming from within Trump's own base.

When supporters who helped elect a president on promises of transparency become the loudest critics of his administration's handling of those same promises, does the pressure to act come from within the coalition — or does loyalty ultimately override accountability?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Mediaite's coverage of Shawn Ryan's X video, CNBC's reporting on the Bondi hearing and Dow comments, PBS News coverage of the House Judiciary Committee hearing, CBS News live updates on the Bondi testimony, reporting by The Hill on Massie's criticism of Bondi, ABC News on Massie's lack of confidence in Bondi, NPR's Epstein files weekly roundup, CNN's five takeaways from Bondi's testimony, official text of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the DOJ Epstein Library.

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