JD Vance, the US vice-president, acknowledged that the Trump administration mishandled the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that "we absolutely screwed up the comms." In a lengthy interview released on Wednesday, Vance agreed with criticism that the administration should have released all documents from the start.
Bondi's Role and Public Backlash
Vance pointed to comments from former attorney general Pam Bondi, who claimed the convicted sex offender's alleged "client list" was "sitting on my desk right now." However, Vance defended Bondi, saying, "I know Pam. I like Pam. I don't think there was anything malicious going on. I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn't have."
Bondi had offered conservative commentators binders titled "The Epstein files: Phase 1" and "Declassified," which largely contained already publicly available documents. Her statements led to public criticism, with Vance noting she was "roasted," fueling mistrust in the administration's transparency.
Controversy and Legislative Action
The Department of Justice's repeated delays in releasing Epstein-related documents drew bipartisan disapproval last year, becoming a significant political liability for Donald Trump. After months of controversy, lawmakers passed a measure compelling the government to release a large trove of documents related to federal investigations of Epstein.
In December, the justice department began releasing heavily redacted files, including photos, call logs, grand jury testimony, and interview transcripts. However, the redactions and failure to meet a deadline for full release drew criticism from lawmakers and the public.
Vance told Rogan, "We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. Like, we just did. But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No."
