Jim Jordan confronted on CNN with shocking evidence against Trump in Epstein files
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
February 24, 2026
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was confronted on CNN by new reporting that shows the Department of Justice removed records from the Jeffrey Epstein files related to a woman who accused President Donald Trump of sexually abusing her when she was a minor.
CNN's Manu Raju hosted Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday to discuss the president's upcoming State of the Union address, but he also confronted the Ohio Republican whether Trump should accept a request by some Epstein survivors to meet.
"Everyone knows that thepresident didn't do anythingwrong," Jordan said, "because if he had, youdon't think the [Merrick] Garland Justice Department and the Bidenadministration would havebrought something up? I mean,everyone knows he didn't doanything wrong here. Our Justice Department is complying with thelegislation we passed and withthe courts getting thatinformation out there as the lawrequires and as the courts haverequired, making sure you protectpeople who should be protectedbut getting the information to Congress, as we, as it said inthe law we passed."
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, confirmed that a survivor had made serious allegations against the president and had been interviewed by the FBI, but NPR followed up on reporting by independent journalist Roger Sollenberger that found files related to her claims had been removed from the public database.
"Congressman Robert Garcia said today thatthe DOJ appears to have withheldFBI interviews with a survivorwho accused President Trump ofserious crimes," Raju said. "Are you aware ofDOJ withholding? Are you going to ask about it or do you want to do you want to see this information?"
Jordan insisted that he had not been aware of the DOJ removing those files from the database.
"I am not," Jordan said. "I'm not, but I'mconfident that Attorney General [Pam] Bondi, Deputy Attorney General [Todd] Blanche, the Justice Departmentis complying with the law,complying with the courts andgetting that information to Congress as as the statuterequires."
Raju then asked about the arrests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson in the U.K. and whether U.S. officials should prosecute others who appear in the Epstein files.
"If people have done thingswrong, then they will beprosecuted," Jordan said. "In my understanding,in the U.K., it's driven by, itlooks like they're they'retalking about people who gaveillegal information ortreasonous kind ofactions. It looks like that'sthe concern there, so the U.K. can prosecute people forthat. They're doing that, and if there are individuals whoneed to be held to account,prosecuted, I'm confident this Justice Department will do it."
Some lawmakers have reviewed the unredacted Epstein files held by the DOJ, but Jordan said he was not among them.
"I have not," he said. "Because theweek that wasmade available was the week wehad Attorney General Bondi. I wasgetting ready for that hearing," referring to Bondi giving testimony to Congress.
"Normally we will, I will havesomeone probably do that, lookat that," Jordan added. "The staff, that'snormally how we do it on the Judiciary Committee. That's inthe Oversight Committee, but Judiciary Committee, we will havewe have people who will look atthat information and then getthe information to us. "