‘Absolutely screwed up the Epstein files’: Vance told Joe Rogan, claims Israel wants war with Iran to go on ‘indefinitely’ | Today’s news
US Vice President JD Vance admitted that the Donald Trump administration mishandled the release of the Epstein files. In an interview with The Joe Rogan Experience, Vance said the Trump administration was wrong to release FBI documents related to the investigation of a high-profile sex offender.
“We completely screwed up the communications of the Epstein files,” Vance told Rogan during the nearly 3-hour podcast. “We just did. But I think the reason we messed up the communication is because we were trying to hide something? No.”
Pam Bondi “Exaggerated”
The US vice president, who said he was one of the “OG Epstein conspiracy theorists”, however added that the idea that Trump was blackmailed is “crazy” to me.
The second Trump administration took office with a promise to release all of Epstein’s files. Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi even claimed that Epstein’s alleged “client list” is “sitting on my desk right now,” something she, the Justice Department and the Trump administration had to go back on.
Read also | Democrats say Bondi has refused to answer questions about Trump’s involvement
Vance admitted that Bondi was “roasted” publicly and led people to “distrust” the administration’s efforts at transparency in the Epstein files. According to him, the former attorney general exaggerated the documents that the Department of Justice had about Jeffrey Epstein.
“I know Pam. I like Pam. I don’t think there was anything malicious going on,” Vance said. “I think Pam was trying to respond to a political moment. I think she overestimated what we had and what we didn’t have.”
JD Vance on the US-Iran War
Vance, 41, considered one of the most likely candidates to succeed Trump as the 2028 Republican presidential nominee, also spoke about the ongoing US war with Iran, something he initially disagreed with the president on.
When asked, “If it was your call, would you do the exact same thing?” Vance told Rogan, “The president said publicly that JD was ‘less than thrilled’ about it — I think that was the exact phrase he used.”
Read also | Vance declines to talk about Rubio clash after Trump previews possible GOP ‘Dream Team’
But Vance said he would support whatever decision the president made if he thought it was “legal and ethical.” According to the US vice president, the goal of the war was to ensure that Iran did not acquire nuclear weapons.
“The goal is certainly a good one, which is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. Despite the initial strikes that decapitated the Iranian administration, no attempt at regime change has yet taken place, and those inside Tehran’s power circles, including top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have further strengthened their grip on the country.
Is the US fighting a war with Israel?
As the war drags on, many critics have argued that the US has been dragged into the conflict by Israel, even though Trump promised no new wars during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Vance rejected the claims, saying Trump is “completely detached from any influence from Israel.”
Read also | Was Iran spying on US troops? The report claims that mobile networks have been exploited
Asked if the U.S. would have continued the war had it not been for Israel’s influence, Vance said, “Yes, I would.”
Interestingly, Vance, who was the lead negotiator for the US during the Pakistan-hosted talks with Iran, acknowledged that some elements in Israel wanted the war to continue “indefinitely”.
“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are people in the Israeli government who are trying, for example, to steer us away from (negotiations) because they want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said.
“We know there are some people in their system who we know beyond a shadow of a doubt are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going indefinitely,” he added. “Again, not to any destination, but just indefinitely.
