Vice President Vance defended the Trump administration’s handling of the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a press conference in Canton, Ohio, after an appearance to promote the “big, beautiful bill.”
“The president has been very clear. We’re not shielding anything,” Vance said in response to a question from a reporter. “He’s been incredibly transparent about that stuff, but some of that stuff takes time.”
The furor from the MAGA base over Epstein put Vance, who has in the past entertained conspiracy theories about the convicted sex offender, in a tricky position after the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo maintaining that the disgraced financier died by suicide.
Vance reportedly served as a mediator between Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino after Bongino aired quitting the week the memo was released. But he otherwise largely stayed quiet as the administration tried to contain the fallout.
Now, several weeks later, the MAGA-verse’s focus on the issue has abated, despite multiple reports from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal about Trump’s ties to Epstein — findings the president has strenuously denied.
The president’s attempt to have grand jury transcripts about Epstein unsealed was also defeated in Florida last week, although a ruling has yet to be made in Epstein’s criminal case in New York.
In Ohio, Vance attempted to pin blame on anyone but the president.
“For four years, under Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the media didn’t give a damn about the Epstein files or about the Epstein case,” he said. He also blamed the Bush and Obama administrations for not “fully” investigating the case.
“Donald J. Trump, I’m telling you, he’s got nothing to hide,” he said.
