Vance: Trump Admin "Mishandled" Epstein Files Release, Citing Communication Failure

Vice President JD Vance recently admitted that the Trump administration "mishandled" the release of the controversial Jeffrey Epstein files. Speaking on Joe Rogan's podcast, Vance stated, "If people want to say we mishandled the Epstein release, guilty. We did mishandle it, especially the communications of it."

Vance elaborated on what he believes should have been done differently, suggesting, "I think we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning." He acknowledged the need for review, redaction for victims, and the time involved but stressed the importance of speed.

The timing of Vance's admission is particularly significant as the Epstein files are once again a central topic in Washington. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced intense questioning during his confirmation process for a full appointment to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ). Blanche also acknowledged "mistakes" in the release process, describing it as a "herculean task to review millions and millions of potentially responsive files." He added, "That doesn’t excuse the mistakes of which I take responsibility but it does mean that we tried to fix them."

Critics have long accused the Trump administration of failing to fulfill early promises to release the files, subsequently slow-walking disclosures that were eventually mandated by a 2025 law. A notable incident occurred in February 2025, when then-Attorney General Pam Bondi famously declared Epstein’s client list was "sitting on my desk right now." In the same month, right-wing influencers were reportedly given binders of Epstein information at the White House, much of which was later found to be already in the public domain. The administration's handling of these files has been a source of ongoing scrutiny and public dissatisfaction.

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