JD Vance's fiery four-word comeback after claims Trump is 'shielding' Epstein and his clients
In Canton, Ohio, Vance responded to protestors who suggested the administration was 'shielding' Epstein and his clients.
'We're not shielding anything,' the vice president told a reporter who asked him about the protestors. '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.'
Vance urged people fascinated with the case to be patient, pointing out that it would take time to go over the files and sift through the information, making sure that names were redacted to protect victims.
He also defended Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the ongoing effort to provide more transparency into the case.
'I know, because i talk to her all the time, the attorney general is hard at work on that now,' Vance said.
Vance also criticized the media for suddenly taking interest in the case during Trump's administration.
'For four years, under Joe Biden's Department of Justice the media didn't give a damn about the Epstein files or the Epstein case,' he said, describing the notorious billionaire as a 'scumbag pedophile.'
Vance also blamed former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush for going 'easy' on Epstein and said that Trump did not deserve the criticism he was getting from the press.
'If you want to criticize the people who weren't showing full transparency you ought to go after the administrations that went easy on Jeffrey Epstein,' he said.
Vance insisted that Trump had 'nothing to hide' in the Epstein files and predicted more details about the Epstein case in the coming days.
'He's going to keep on being an advocate for full transparency,' Vance promised.
The controversy surrounding the Epstein files exploded on July 7, after the Department of Justice released a memo that said Epstein did not have a 'client list' that could be released and that there was no evidence of foul play in Epstein's death in prison, after it was ruled a suicide.
The memo angered Trump supporters who remain obsessed with the case as evidence that wealthy and connected people have dodged accountability for their connections to Epstein and his horrific crimes against young girls.
Vance had previously been silent about the controversy but worked behind-the- scenes to communicate with Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI director Dan Bongino as they face criticism for their handling of the case.
The vice president repeatedly called for the release of the Epstein files as a senator and on the 2024 campaign trail.
While traveling in Scotland on Monday, the president told the Daily Mail that no one has asked him about a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's accomplice currently serving a prison sentence.
'I'm allowed to give her a pardon. Nobody's approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it. It's in the news about that, that aspect of it. But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it,' he said.
Maxwell, who met with Justice Department officials last week, is serving 20 years in prison for her involvement in Epstein's crimes.
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