The Trump administration is contorting itself in order to not release the Epstein files.
Senior administration officials are expected to meet Wednesday night at the vice president’s residence to discuss their available options for the Epstein files—one of which reportedly includes having deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche go on Joe Rogan’s podcast to discuss the scandal, according to CNN.
The meeting will include Blanche as well as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Sources say that there have also been internal discussions about what exactly Blanche’s next step could be, including holding a press conference or doing a high profile interview, possibly with someone like Joe Rogan,” reported CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Tuesday night.
Blanche met with Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, for multiple days last month, spurring concern that the White House was considering a pardon for the convicted sex trafficker.
Another option reportedly discussed amongst the senior officials includes releasing the transcript or audio of Maxwell’s interview with Blanche.
The Trump administration has been in a tailspin over the case files since the beginning of July, when the Justice Department directly contradicted Bondi on the existence of Epstein’s “client list,” eliciting surprise and upset from the deepest pockets of the MAGA leader’s base.
But rather than release the Epstein files and provide the transparency so demanded by his supporters, Donald Trump decided to go in a different direction and accrue a new list of Epstein’s clients from Maxwell. Maxwell, in turn, directly appealed to the president and the Supreme Court in pursuit of a pardon.
A senior Trump administration official told CNN Thursday that Trump was not considering clemency for the convicted sex trafficker, though Trump underscored to reporters just days prior that he was “allowed” to give her one.
Meanwhile, Americans are increasingly disturbed by Trump’s handling of the entire fiasco. A poll published by Emerson College Polling in July found that just 16 percent of Americans approved of the way Trump was managing the Epstein scandal, while more than half of polled Americans—51 percent—disapproved.
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