A forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reveals that President Donald Trump’s team mishandled the Jeffrey Epstein case “to a far greater extent than the public knew.” The excerpt, published by The Independent, details internal clashes and missteps, including a crisis meeting in the White House Situation Room where Vice President JD Vance was reportedly “panicked” over the scandal’s potential to divide the MAGA base.
The book, titled Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, claims that then-Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to distribute binders of Epstein files to right-wing influencers was an “egregious misstep.” During a February 2025 event in the Roosevelt Room, Bondi’s team handed out binders that had not been vetted by the White House. One official reportedly flipped through the pages to check if Trump’s name appeared, and it did. A Trump aide quickly imposed an embargo on the contents, but influencers were photographed waving the binders outside the White House.
The book also describes a furious argument between Bondi and then-FBI deputy director Dan Bongino in the Situation Room. Bongino, who stepped down from his role later, was frustrated that White House officials underestimated the crisis. The authors note that Trump “had no interest in releasing anything” related to Epstein, despite his campaign pledge to do so.
A White House spokeswoman said Trump has been “totally exonerated” on Epstein matters and has done more for victims than anyone before him. The controversy peaked after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo stating there was no evidence of a “client list” and confirming Epstein’s death by suicide in 2019.
