Vice President JD Vance refuted claims on Wednesday about organizing a meeting focused on the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. He dismissed a CNN article detailing the supposed gathering as ‘fake news.’

The vice president was specifically asked to address the report by President Donald Trump during an event in the Oval Office. 

‘The article I saw today is entirely false. We have no meeting regarding the Epstein matter planned,’ stated Vance. ‘The journalist responsible for this story should improve their sourcing.’

Trump described the whole Epstein controversy as a ‘hoax’ that was ‘put out by the Democrats’ to distract from his administration’s success. 

‘That’s just a way of trying to divert attention to something that’s total bulls*it,’ the president added. 

CNN had alleged that Vance was arranging a Wednesday night meeting about the Epstein files, with participants including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The report was bylined by five different CNN reporters citing ‘three sources familiar’ with details of the event. 

The vice president’s office denied the scheduled meeting after the CNN report was published Wednesday morning. 

Vice President JD Vance denied plans to host a meeting to talk about Jeffrey Epstein

The Vice President’s residence at the United States Naval Observatory

‘The CNN story is pure fiction,’ William Martin, Communications Director to the Vice President told the Daily Mail. ‘There was never a supposed meeting scheduled at the Vice President’s residence to discuss Epstein Strategy.’

The White House did not respond to a Daily Mail request for comment. 

The vice president has been working behind the scenes to get Bondi and Patel on the same page, but is not specifically leading the administration’s response to Epstein. 

A second source close to the FBI told the Daily Mail that Vance likely sees the Epstein files as a possible liability for his all-but-certain run for president in 2028, ‘so trying to distance himself from the mishaps but also be part of the solution’ is important to him. 

Blanche recently spent nine-hours meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell to discuss the case. 

Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and business associate was was convicted of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.

During the meeting, Maxwell told Blanche that Trump never did anything harmful in her presence according to sources speaking to ABC News. 

Administration officials are weighing whether to release transcripts of the interviews, but have not made a decision. 

Maxwell was transported from a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida after her meeting with Blanche to a more relaxed security prison in Texas.

Maxwell’s attorney said after the meeting that she ‘didn’t hold anything back’ in the interview, and spoke about ‘one hundred’ different people in the case.

President Trump said he was unaware of Maxwell’s transfer but described it as routine. 

‘I didn’t know about it at all. I read about it just like you did,’ he told reporters on Tuesday. ‘It’s not a very uncommon thing.’ 

US Attorney General Pam Bondi has come under scrutiny for her mishandling of the Epstein files 

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s Director of the FBI

 Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Maxwell. 

The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, issued a statement calling for the adminstration to meet with ‘any survivor of the vicious crimes of convicted perjurer and sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.’

‘Their voices must be heard, above all. We also call upon the House subcommittee to invite survivors to testify,’ Sky and Amanda Roberts said in a joint statement with Danny and Lanette Wilson.

Giuffre died in April 2025, as the cause of death was ruled a suicide.

‘Any information that may be released by the government should take into account the survivors who wish to remain anonymous, for their safety and well-being. They should be consulted first,’ the family members concluded.

Democrats were quick to target Vance’s role in the controversy, given that he once was a vocal proponent of releasing all the documents related to the deceased pedophile.

‘The Epstein files coverup is happening before our eyes and the entire Trump White House is complicit including JD Vance who at one point tried to distance himself from it all,’ said Tommy Vietor, the former Obama national security official and current podcast host. 

The Trump administration continues to weigh their response to the controversy that began a month ago 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. 

Jeffrey Epstein stands next to one of his private jets

Jeffrey Epstein’s long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20 year prison sentence for sex trafficking 

 Vance last addressed the administration’s handling of the files, denying that the they were ‘shielding’ Epstein and his clients.

‘We’re not shielding anything,’ the vice president told a reporter who asked him about protestors in Ohio. ‘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 has defended Bondi for her handling of the case, even as prominent Trump allies have blamed her for the tone-deaf handling of 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 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.