US vice president JD Vance said that the Trump administration “absolutely screwed up the communications” surrounding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying the issue was mishandled. He also suggested that Epstein had links to intelligence agencies “Mossad or CIA or some other deep state”.Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast released on Wednesday, Vance acknowledged that the administration mishandled the rollout of the files but denied claims of a cover-up.“I say this with all candor, like we absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files, like we just did,” Vance said when asked whether there had been “undue influence” in keeping the files under wraps.“But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No,” he added. Vance said the administration should have “just dropped everything at the very beginning” instead of allowing confusion to grow over the release.“If people want to say we mishandled the Epstein release, guilty. We did mishandle it, especially the communications of it,” he said. “I think that we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning. We should have just done it as quickly as possible,” he added.During the interview, Vance also addressed speculation about Epstein’s alleged links to intelligence agencies. When host Joe Rogan asked about theories involving Israel’s Mossad, Vance replied, “Yeah, Mossad or CIA or some other deep state.”“He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence,” Vance said, though he did not provide any evidence to support those claims.
Vance points to Pam Bondi ‘s remarks
Vance largely blamed the confusion on comments made by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had suggested that a purported Epstein “client list” was on her desk. He also referred to the binders titled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” that were distributed to conservative influencers in February 2025, saying they contained little new information. “I don’t know what the purpose of it was, but I know the effect of it was to make people mistrust the entire effort,” Vance said.While defending Bondi’s intentions, he said she overstated what the government actually possessed. “I know Pam. I like Pam. I don’t think there was anything malicious going on.”“I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we had and what we didn’t have,” he added.The US vice president also defended MAGA supremo Donald Trump against allegations that he tried to suppress the Epstein files. He argued that Trump could have stopped Congress from forcing the Justice Department to release the documents if he had wanted to.Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender known for his ties to influential figures, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He pleaded not guilty and died in a New York jail while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging, though it has remained the subject of public scrutiny.The Justice Department began releasing documents related to its Epstein investigations in late December, including photographs, call logs, grand jury testimony and interview transcripts, after lawmakers approved a measure compelling their disclosure.