US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged on July 15 that the Trump administration mishandled the communications and timing of releasing Jeffrey Epstein files, saying, "We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files. Like, we just did" [1]. He admitted to Joe Rogan’s podcast that the administration delayed release and faced bipartisan criticism for the handling and heavy redactions of the documents [1, 2, 3].
The Justice Department began releasing heavily redacted Epstein files in December 2025, following congressional pressure. These included photos, call logs, grand jury testimony, and interview transcripts [1]. Vance said the administration should have released all documents from the start and sped up the process, though he acknowledged some redactions were necessary to protect sensitive information [1, 2, 3].
Vance denied any malicious intent, saying mistakes were due to communication errors rather than a cover-up. "But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No," he said [1, 3].
Confusion and mistrust were fueled by former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s comments suggesting a "client list" related to Epstein was on her desk, comments that Vance and others said caused misunderstandings [1, 3]. Bondi distributed binders titled "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" and "Declassified" to conservative commentators in February 2025, though these contained mostly publicly available documents [1, 3].
Vance also suggested Epstein had connections to intelligence agencies including the US and Israeli agencies such as Mossad or the CIA but did not provide evidence. He said, "Yeah, Mossad or CIA or some other deep state" during his interview [3].
Vance’s public admission is the first by a senior official from the Trump administration addressing the controversy over the Epstein files release. The Justice Department continues to release documents related to Epstein as congressional oversight persists [1].
