Vice President Vance openly embraced the label of conspiracy theorist when it comes to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, during a Tuesday appearance on ABC's The View that quickly turned contentious. The admission came in response to a recent New York Times report detailing internal White House deliberations over how to manage the release of files linking former President Donald Trump to Epstein.
“I am frankly kind of a conspiracy theorist on the Epstein stuff, and that story says that,” Vance told the show's co-hosts. “That's one of the things that's true—some people called me a conspiracy theorist on the Epstein stuff.” When co-host Sunny Hostin noted that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had described him that way, Vance confirmed it. “I love Susie, but absolutely, she thinks I'm a conspiracy theorist on the Epstein stuff, because I think that it's crazy that you have this guy who is clearly a sex predator who is hanging out with a lot of very wealthy and powerful people,” he said. “Like that really bothered me.”
The Times report portrayed Vance as “panicked” by the situation, a characterization he pushed back against. “I wanted to have full transparency,” he added. “What I disagree with is the idea that the White House wasn't committed to full transparency. We need to remember, like, I was inside the room when some of these decisions were made.”
Co-host Ana Navarro pressed Vance on Trump's past friendship with Epstein, arguing that the president only released the files “under duress” after Republicans demanded it. Vance defended his boss, pointing to Trump's signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated the release, and citing emails that he said showed Epstein “hated” Trump. “I do have to defend my boss, I know you guys don't always appreciate this, but you know one of the things you see in the Epstein emails is that Jeffrey Epstein hated Donald Trump, and that Donald Trump literally reported Jeffrey Epstein to the police. That's one of the things that came out,” Vance said.
Vance also claimed Trump was “frustrated” that Democrats were making the Epstein file release all about him. The vice president's comments come amid ongoing scrutiny of the administration's handling of Epstein-related documents. Earlier this year, Representative Garcia vowed to probe Vance's role in the White House's Epstein response, and the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Alan Dershowitz as part of the investigation.
The appearance on The View was part of a broader media blitz by Vance to promote his new book and defend the administration's record. The exchange over Epstein highlights the political tightrope Vance walks as he balances his own skepticism with loyalty to Trump, a dynamic that has fueled internal tensions within the White House.
