Vance to Rogan: We Messed Up on Epstein

JD Vance sat for a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan on Wednesday and acknowledged that the Trump administration botched the rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein files. But the mistake was more about messaging than anything sinister, he insisted on the podcast. "I say this with all candor, like we absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files, like we just did," Vance said, reports Politico. "But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No." He singled out then-Attorney General Pam Bondi for inflating expectations, only for February 2025's release to reveal few new details. Also:

• New Epstein allegation: Vance also ventured into unproven territory, asserting Epstein had links to top levels of US and Israeli intelligence, citing the CIA and Mossad but offering no evidence. US authorities have never made such a finding.
• Iran: The vice president said some Israeli officials want to torpedo the US-Iran talks and keep the war going "indefinitely," per the New York Post. "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from [negotiations] because they want to continue the military campaign," he said.
• 'Cool' problem: Vance told Rogan that "Republicans still fundamentally have a cool problem," per the Hill. "There's something more charismatic, more cool about the Democrats as opposed to the right." At another point, he said, "There are too many dorks on the right or something," while adding that the left had its share of them, too. "Different kind of dork," added Rogan.