Vice President JD Vance faced questions about "protecting pedophiles" after President Donald Trump's administration refused to release a list of Jeffrey Epstein's associates.
Following a speech in Ohio on Monday, Vance took a question from Associated Press reporter Julie Carr Smyth.
"There are some protesters outside accusing the GOP of protecting pedophiles, and we're wondering what you think are the reasons the U.S. government should shield the client list of Epstein from the public, and what you have to say about any relevance to that here today?" the reporter asked.
"First of all, the president has been very clear. We're not shielding anything," Vance insisted. "The president has directed the Attorney General to release all credible information, and frankly, to go and find additional credible information related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. He's been incredibly transparent about that stuff."
The vice president claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi was "hard at work" preparing to release additional material despite having months to do so.
"For literally 20 years, the story about this scumbag, and he is a scumbag pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, he's dead now. But for 20 years, you had Obama and George W. Bush's Department of Justice go easy on this guy," he opined. "And now Donald J. Trump is asking his Department of Justice to show full transparency, and somehow that's a criticism of Donald J. Trump, and not Barack Obama and George W. Bush."
"Donald J. Trump, I'm telling you, he's got nothing to hide. His administration has got nothing to hide," Vance added. "And that's why he's been an advocate for full transparency in this case. He's going to keep on being an advocate for full transparency."
