‘We screwed up the comms’: JD Vance admits errors over Epstein files release | US politics
US vice president J.D. Vance acknowledged criticism that the Trump administration bungled the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that “we absolutely botched the communication.”
The Justice Department’s repeated moves to delay the release of documents related to the convicted sex offender have drawn bipartisan attention disapproval last year. The files have been one of Donald Trump’s most important political liabilities since he began his second term.
In a lengthy interview released Wednesday, Vance told Rogan that the administration should have released all the documents from the beginning. He noted former attorney general Pam Bondi’s comments that the convicted sex offender’s alleged “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now.”
“I know Pam. I love Pam. I don’t think there was anything malicious going on,” Vance told Rogan. “I think Pam was trying to respond to the political situation. I think she exaggerated what we had and what we didn’t have.”
Bondi had also made available to conservative commentators and influencers the so-called “Epstein files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” files, which largely contained documents already publicly available.
Vance told Rogan that he was publicly “angered” by Bondi’s comments, which he said ultimately increased distrust of the administration’s transparency efforts.
“We absolutely messed up the communication of the Epstein files. We just did it,” Vance said. “But do I think the reason we broke down communication was because we were trying to hide something? No.”
After months of persistent debate, lawmakers passed a measure forcing the government to release large amounts of documents related to federal investigations into Epstein.
In December, the justice department began releasing heavily redacted files, including photographs, call recordings, grand jury testimony and interview transcripts.
However, the corrections and the Ministry of Justice’s failure to meet the deadline for publishing the full files led to criticism from MPs and the public.
Associated Press contributed reporting
