Vice President JD Vance has reportedly concocted a new excuse about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, and it could make matters worse for his boss, according to one analyst.
Recently, comedian Tim Dillon joined conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's podcast to discuss a dinner that he had with Vance. At the dinner, Dillon recalled Vance telling him that troves of pornography found in Epstein's homes were for personal use and not part of a broader sex trafficking conspiracy that includes the nation's most powerful people.
That story seems to contradict the one authored by President Donald Trump and his surrogates that Epstein was at the center of a massive pedophile cabal that Trump sought to disrupt.
Saagar Enjeti, co-host of the Breaking Points podcast, responded to the remarks in an episode that aired on Tuesday.
"That's very interesting because that would actually presume that, at the highest levels of the White House, they did review some of the Epstein files," Enjeti said. "That is something the President and his team have denied, remember."
Two weeks ago, the Department of Justice issued an unsigned memo stating that Epstein died of suicide while in jail and never kept a list of clients. That memo contradicted two central elements of the narrative Trump spun for his base while on the campaign trail.
Since then, Trump has attempted to clean up the mess by implicating MAGA's favorite targets like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The administration also tried to pass off the blame by saying the conclusion was reached by the FBI and DOJ.
But the slight admission that the administration reviewed the files could land the president in hot water with his base, many of whom are foaming at the mouth over the decision not to release the tapes.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also effectively shut down any votes on the Epstein files until September at the earliest. On Tuesday, Republicans banded together to squash a resolution from Reps. Ro Khana (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) to release the files.
"These two things look very sketchy to me," Enjeti said.
