The heavily redacted files proved disappointing. A GOP Judiciary Committee “rickroll” during the anticipation of the release didn’t make people feel any better.
Members of Congress and far-right influencers had been clamoring for the release of previously classified documents related to the late financier and alleged sex trafficker Jefferey Epstein since President Donald Trump, who had promised during his campaign that he would do so, took office. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Wednesday that Thursday would be the day they’d be waiting for.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]But after a group of far-right influencers were handed physical binders at the White House—a photo-op-style move some observers called a “managed disclosure” and others described as “tasteless”—people online waited for hours to get access to a digital version of the release.
So when the X account for the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee posted: “BREAKING: EPSTEIN FILES RELEASED,” followed by a link, users hoped it would lead them to the anticipated cache of documents.
Instead, what clickers got was the music video for Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
The prank—a nearly two-decade-old bait-and-switch meme known as “rickrolling”—enraged observers and has since been taken down.
“Disgusting behavior,” posted Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.), who chairs a task force focused on transparency and declassifying federal materials. “The amount of people hurt by Epstein is not a joke. Whoever posted this is going to get fired.”
“Just a stunning lack of judgment by the people responsible for this account,” said conservative political commentator Matt Walsh on X.
“Little kids were raped and this is how the GOP acts. These people are as guilty as the Epstein client list. This is why it’s taken this long to get any progress,” another user posted.
TIME has reached out to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee for comment.
The Justice Department eventually did publish the documents online, but it only led to more disappointment when reviewers found that the release was heavily redacted and included information that was already previously made available.
Read More: The Biggest Names from Jeffrey Epstein’s Unsealed Court Documents
Responding to the lack of new information, Luna, the congresswoman, posted on X: “THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!”
Far-right activist Laura Loomer also raged: “We were all lied to today,” and she called on Bondi to resign, labeling her a “total liar.” Loomer said in another post: “This is absurd. Everyone is laughing at the admin today.”
Former MLB pitcher John Rocker, also a conservative, said on X: “THE EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE TODAY WAS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.”
On the other side of the political spectrum, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) referred to the redactions in a post on X. “You were promised the full Epstein files. You got this,” he said, with a picture of a page of black lines.
Other Republicans had more positive things to say. Rep. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) thanked the Trump Administration for releasing the documents and “shedding light on this darkness,” adding on X: “Our hearts ache for the victims of this crime, and we stand alongside them in their quest for justice.”
Before the release of the documents, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) said on X that she was “proud” of the work of Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, and added: “AG Bondi will release the documents only protecting victim’s identity which is the right thing to do. AG Bondi is releasing today everything she currently has. AG Bondi and FBI Director Patel are doing a great job!”
Bondi on Thursday claimed the FBI was withholding records she’d requested and instructed Patel to investigate as well as ordered the “full and complete” files to be delivered to her by Friday.
