Vice President J.D. Vance admitted that the Trump administration “absolutely screwed up” its rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying officials mishandled their communications and fueled public confusion. Speaking on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast on Wednesday, July 15, Vance insisted that although the rollout gave rise to significant confusion, the mistakes were not part of an effort to conceal evidence. His remarks prompted Epstein survivor Annie Farmer to argue that the admission of mismanagement and mishandling of the Epstein files was meaningless without greater transparency, saying that “if they’re not actually specifically owning up and trying to do better, then it doesn’t bring us much comfort.”
‘We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files’
During the interview with Rogan, Vance acknowledged that the Trump administration’s public handling of the Epstein files created unnecessary confusion, which he partially blamed on former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s assertion that the Epstein “client list” was on her desk. “We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. We just did,” Vance said, adding that he did not believe officials were trying to hide information from the public.
He argued the administration should have released the available material much sooner, while taking only the necessary time to review documents and protect victims’ identities. “I think that we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning, and like, obviously, it takes a little time to review the stuff, to find the stuff, to redact things where you have victims and so forth, but we should have just done it as quickly as possible,” the vice president said.
Notably, Vance also defended President Donald Trump during the interview, saying, “I’ve never seen a single piece of credible evidence that the president of the United States engaged in wrongdoing with minors. Ever.”
Jeffrey Epstein survivor demands action
Farmer, who has long advocated for accountability and transparency regarding the Epstein files, said Vance’s comments were a welcome acknowledgment but fell short without concrete steps. Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday, she said, “I think that it’s important that they are owning, that there were issues with this. That’s the first time I’ve heard an official actually really do that. But I think it’s pretty hollow if there’s not follow-up. They are continuing to, I guess in his words, screw up because we know there’s still files that aren’t being released.”
“So they can make these kind of general statements that we messed up, but if they’re not actually specifically owning up and trying to do better, then it doesn’t bring us much comfort,” she added.
Robert Y. Shapiro, a political science professor at Columbia University, told Newsweek that while Vance could argue there was no proof of a cover-up, his remarks would not erase criticism over how the Trump administration handled the issue.
J.D. Vance addresses claims regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged intelligence connections
The vice president also addressed longstanding speculation surrounding Epstein’s alleged intelligence connections. Vance claimed Epstein “clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence” as well as “the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.” After Rogan remarked that “most people think he was Mossad,” Vance replied, “Yea Mossad, or CIA or some other deep state whether in America or Israel or another country — or both.”
Although Epstein’s relationships with influential political, business and social figures are well documented, no public evidence has established that he worked for or with any intelligence agency.
Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged intelligence ties remain unverified
Although questions about Epstein’s alleged intelligence ties have circulated for years, they remain unverified. Former Fox News host and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson previously suggested Epstein might have worked on behalf of Israeli intelligence, an allegation former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett dismissed as “a lie,” insisting Epstein “never worked for the Mossad.”
The issue has also drawn attention in Congress, as Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said she believed there was an “intelligence connection” after hearing testimony from witnesses seeking greater transparency, although she identified no specific agency and said it was “inferred to be [a] CIA director under the Bush administration.” A spokesperson for former CIA Director George Tenet has previously denied any such link between the agency and Epstein, telling Newsweek that Tenet “is unaware of any intelligence connection of any kind with Jeffrey Epstein.”
