Vance says Epstein had connections to US, Israeli intelligence

US Vice President JD Vance stated in a Joe Rogan interview that the late Jeffrey Epstein appeared to have connections to both high levels of American intelligence and elements of the "Israeli deep state." Vance specifically suggested Epstein's Israeli connections leaned towards the left of center. He also acknowledged that the Trump administration mishandled the communication surrounding the Epstein files, particularly regarding former Attorney General Pam Bondi's statements about an alleged client list. Vance indicated Bondi may have overstated what information was available at the time.

US Vice President JD Vance admitted on the Joe Rogan podcast that the Trump administration mishandled the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, stating, "we absolutely screwed up the comms." Vance believes the administration should have released all documents from the start, citing comments from Pam Bondi that he felt overstated what was available. Bondi's actions, including distributing binders of already public documents, fueled mistrust in the administration's transparency efforts. The Department of Justice's repeated delays and the release of heavily redacted files drew bipartisan disapproval. Lawmakers eventually passed a measure compelling the government to release a large trove of documents, which began in December.