Vance turns tables on media asking if Trump is covering for ‘pedophiles,’ says press never asked prior admins

Vice President JD Vance trashed the media on Monday for not asking prior presidential administrations why they weren’t being transparent with the Jeffrey Epstein case.

During an address in Canton, Ohio, touting President Donald Trump’s economic agenda, Vance replied to a question about whether Republicans were “protecting pedophiles” with how Trump has handled the Jeffrey Epstein case. Vance said Trump has been the most transparent president on the Epstein topic and slammed the mainstream media for only now applying new scrutiny to the story with the president in office.

“For four years under Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the media didn’t give a damn about the Epstein files or about the Epstein case,” he said.

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Some Trump supporters and critics have accused the administration of conspiring to cover up the details of the sex trafficking case against the sexual predator after Trump’s DOJ and the FBI said earlier this month that there were no more major details to reveal about the Epstein case.

“This systemic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” read a joint memo leaked to Axios. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” 

The revelation shocked many MAGA Republicans and Trump supporters, who had for years believed that Epstein was at the heart of a child sex trafficking ring that involved blackmailing prominent figures worldwide.

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In Canton, Associated Press reporter Julie Carr Smyth asked Vance, “There are some protesters outside accusing the GOP of protecting pedophiles and were wondering what you think are the reasons the U.S. government should shield the client list of Epstein from the public and what you have to say about any relevance to that here today.”

Vance responded by saying that Trump has been transparent. 

“First of all, the president has been very clear, we’re not shielding anything. 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. He’s been incredibly transparent about that stuff.”

“The president has been very clear he wants full transparency,” Vance added.

Following backlash to the DOJ and FBI Epstein memo, Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all “pertinent” transcripts on the case.   

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Vance then ripped the media’s newfound curiosity about the case during Trump’s second term.

“For 20 years, you had Obama and George W. Bush’s Department of Justice go easy on this guy. They didn’t fully investigate the case, they didn’t show any curiosity about the case and now Donald J. Trump is asking his Department of Justice to show full transparency, and somehow that’s a criticism of Donald J. Trump and not Barack Obama and George W. Bush.”

Vance advised the AP reporter and Trump critics, “If you want to criticize the people who aren’t showing full transparency, you ought to go after the administrations that went easy on Jeffrey Epstein, the administrations that concealed this case for 20 years, and the administrations that failed to show full transparency.”