Despite Vice President JD Vance’s emphatic public dismissal, new reports suggest the Trump administration did indeed hold closed-door discussions concerning the Jeffrey Epstein files.
On Wednesday, Vance rejected mounting media claims that he had hosted such talks at his residence. “It’s completely fake news,” the vice president declared. President Donald Trump, when asked, told reporters, “I don’t know,” and directed them back to Vance.
However, CNN, citing a source familiar with the logistics, reported that top Trump administration officials convened to determine next steps regarding the late convicted sex offender’s files. The meeting, originally set for Vance’s Washington, D.C., home, was reportedly moved to the White House.
According to MSNBC, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were in attendance. It remains unclear whether Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—initially reported to be joining the dinner at the vice president’s Naval Observatory mansion—were ultimately part of the meeting.
Vance’s alleged participation drew criticism due to the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of avoiding White House involvement in criminal investigations, a safeguard established after the Watergate scandal to prevent political interference.
MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin suggested the last-minute venue change was strategic. “Everybody in Washington was looking to the vice president’s residence, to see who was going to gather there. Certainly, they diverted our attention from there,” she noted.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Among the subjects reportedly discussed was the ongoing Epstein saga, which Trump on Wednesday labeled “total bulls–t,” as well as strategies for managing the political fallout. According to CNN’s source, the administration is working to quell MAGA base outrage over its handling of the case while shifting attention away from renewed scrutiny on Trump’s past association with Epstein.
One proposed tactic, CNN previously reported, citing two administration officials, involves releasing an audio recording and transcript of Blanche’s interview with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for aiding Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation to recruit and abuse underage girls.
Trump on Tuesday denied speaking to Blanche about his meeting with Maxwell, stating, “I didn’t talk to him about it, but I will tell you that whatever he asked would be totally appropriate.” He added that Blanche “probably wants to make sure that, you know, people that should not be involved or aren’t involved are not hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate, very unfair to a lot of people.”