Vance says administration mishandled Epstein files messaging
The vice president told Joe Rogan that Pam Bondi overstated what officials had, fueling mistrust over the Epstein document releases.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration mishandled its public messaging on the Jeffrey Epstein files, a controversy that fueled doubts about whether officials were being transparent. In a podcast interview with Joe Rogan released Wednesday, Vance placed much of the blame on former Attorney General Pam Bondi while saying he did not believe she acted with bad intent.
Vance pointed to Bondi’s earlier claim that an alleged Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now.” He also referred to the Justice Department’s decision under Bondi to provide conservative commentators and influencers with binders labeled “The Epstein files: Phase 1” and “Declassified,” according to Fortune.
Epstein was a convicted sex offender with connections to prominent figures in politics, business and entertainment, according to the Associated Press. Public pressure over government-held Epstein records had persisted as supporters of President Donald Trump demanded more disclosure.
Vance told Rogan that he knows and likes Bondi, and said he did not think she was trying to mislead people maliciously. His criticism centered on how she described the material the administration had in hand.
“I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment,” Vance said on the podcast. “I think she overstated what we had and what we didn’t have.”
Vance said Bondi faced a public backlash after those comments and that the episode contributed to mistrust of the administration’s handling of the files. He framed the matter as a communications failure rather than an effort to conceal information.
“We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files,” Vance told Rogan. “But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No.”
The dispute over the records followed the administration for much of last year, according to Fortune. Lawmakers later passed a measure requiring the release of a large set of government documents tied to investigations of Epstein, including material held by federal authorities.
The Justice Department began releasing documents in late December, according to Fortune. The released material included photos, call logs, grand jury testimony and interview transcripts.
Vance’s remarks amount to one of the administration’s clearest acknowledgments that its handling of the Epstein files damaged public confidence. His comments also shift responsibility toward Bondi’s early statements while defending the administration against claims that it withheld records to protect anyone named in the files.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.