Senior officials in the Trump administration clashed in White House Situation Room meetings over how to handle the release of Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a New York Times report. The meetings, held in July 2025, revealed deep divisions as President Donald Trump resisted publishing the files despite a congressional mandate.
Vice President JD Vance warned the group that the Epstein files were a “huge problem” and pushed for full disclosure to appease the Make America Great Again coalition. Vance even proposed a public relations stunt involving right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, hoping she would exonerate Trump.
Other officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and White House counsel David Warrington, discussed options such as questioning Maxwell or reducing her sentence. Communications director Steven Cheung strongly opposed any deal, saying, “Pardoning Maxwell, a trafficker of young girls, would create a huge PR problem.”
In late July, Blanche interviewed Maxwell, who claimed she had not witnessed inappropriate behaviour by Trump. She was subsequently moved to a minimum-security prison camp, sparking public outrage. Blanche cited death threats as the reason for the transfer.
The meetings were further complicated by a Wall Street Journal article revealing that Trump had contributed a hand-drawn nude woman to Epstein’s birthday book, with a note about a “wonderful secret”. Trump reportedly tried to suppress the story, calling News Corp executives to deny authorship.
