JD Vance, the US vice-president, has admitted that the Trump administration mishandled the release of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that "we absolutely screwed up the comms."
Vance acknowledges communication failures
In an interview released on Wednesday, Vance agreed with criticism that the Department of Justice's repeated delays in releasing Epstein-related files drew bipartisan disapproval and became a significant political liability for President Donald Trump since his second term began.
"We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. Like, we just did," Vance told Rogan. "But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No."
Pam Bondi's role and overstatement
Vance pointed to comments from former attorney general Pam Bondi, who had stated that Epstein's alleged "client list" was "sitting on my desk right now." Bondi also provided conservative commentators and influencers with binders titled "The Epstein files: Phase 1" and "Declassified," which largely contained documents already publicly available.
"I know Pam. I like Pam. I don't think there was anything malicious going on," Vance said. "I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn't have."
Vance acknowledged that Bondi's comments led to her being "roasted" publicly, which fueled mistrust in the administration's transparency efforts.
Congressional action and ongoing criticism
After months of controversy, lawmakers passed a measure compelling the government to release a large trove of documents related to federal investigations of Epstein. In December, the justice department began releasing heavily redacted files, including photos, call logs, grand jury testimony, and interview transcripts.
However, the redactions and the DoJ's failure to meet a deadline for full release drew criticism from both lawmakers and the public, according to the Associated Press.
