New reports have exposed the extent of panic within the Trump administration over the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite promising for years to publish the files in full, President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to block their release since returning to office. Only after Congress passed a bill mandating disclosure was the administration forced to act, but many files remain heavily redacted or unpublished.
According to a New York Times report, senior officials clashed in White House Situation Room meetings over how to handle the crisis. Vice President JD Vance warned in a 17 July 2025 meeting that the Epstein files were a “huge problem” and expressed concern about conspiracy theories linking the president to Epstein. Vance pushed for full disclosure to appease the Make America Great Again (Maga) coalition, even suggesting a PR stunt involving right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson interviewing Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in prison.
During the meetings, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche proposed having Department of Justice lawyers question Maxwell and release the transcript. Vance suggested she testify before Congress, but Blanche noted her lawyer might seek concessions. White House counsel David Warrington outlined options including a pardon or sentence reduction for Maxwell. Communications director Steven Cheung strongly opposed this, stating, “Pardoning Maxwell, a trafficker of young girls, would create a huge PR problem.” Deputy chief of staff James Blair argued that any deal with Maxwell would undermine the credibility of her statements.
In late July, Blanche interviewed Maxwell, who claimed she had not witnessed any inappropriate behaviour by Trump. She was subsequently moved to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas, sparking public outrage. Blanche attributed the transfer to death threats against Maxwell.
The meetings were further disrupted by a Wall Street Journal article detailing Trump’s involvement in a birthday book for Epstein, including a hand-drawn nude woman with an imagined dialogue about a “wonderful secret”. Trump attempted to suppress the story, calling News Corp executives and the Journal’s editor to deny authorship.
