Musk, a former ally of President Donald Trump, criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case

After an FBI memo reportedly found no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein kept a client list or blackmailed powerful associates, Elon Musk seemingly fired a shot at Donald Trump’s administration. Axios and ABC reported that the memo also concluded that video evidence supports the official ruling that Epstein, the disgraced billionaire financier, died by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019.

The memo said there was “no incriminating ‘client list’ … no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals,” and no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” according to Axios. The news comes just months after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that Epstein’s reputed client list was “sitting on my desk,” awaiting review. The reported memo generated online outrage from many who have questioned the official findings related to Epstein, including Musk. The Tesla CEO and former Trump ally posted a meme on X, the social media platform he owns, depicting a man applying clown makeup next to text including, “There is no Epstein list.”

Replying to another post suggesting that the Justice Department was withholding information, Musk said, “This is the final straw.” This is not the first time that Musk has publicly criticized the Trump administration’s handling of Epstein records. “Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk posted in June. “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” Musk later walked back that post.

Musk and Trump had been political allies in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the 2024 election. But a public disagreement over the president’s controversial ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ which has since been passed and signed, has led to a fallout between the two powerful figures.

On Saturday, July 5, the day after Trump signed the spending bill into law, Musk announced he would be starting the America Party and said it would challenge in future elections.

Trump had previously been linked to Epstein, who, before his death, had been accused of sex trafficking girls as young as 14.

Though Trump’s name appeared in Epstein’s flight logs, it does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing. Many of the individuals named could have been on Epstein’s plane for legitimate purposes.

Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.