Trump Team Held Classified Meetings Over Epstein Files Leak Fears, New Book Reveals
A forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan details how senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, held multiple classified Situation Room meetings to manage political fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files. The crisis was triggered largely by a July 2025 DOJ-FBI memo concluding there was no evidence of an Epstein 'client list,' which enraged the MAGA base that had been promised transparency. The revelations expose deep internal divisions, including clashes between then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and underscore how a political scandal consumed resources normally reserved for national security emergencies.
The book, titled 'Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,' due June 23, describes a White House in near-constant turmoil over the Epstein case throughout 2025. Vance reportedly led a July 17, 2025 Situation Room meeting where he called the fallout a 'huge problem' and pushed for maximum transparency, even floating the idea of having Tucker Carlson interview imprisoned Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to publicly exonerate Trump. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles resisted Vance's proposals and later told colleagues he had 'proved himself to be a major conspiracy theorist.' Trump himself, according to the book, wanted the entire Epstein matter buried and snapped at aides who raised it, while simultaneously trying to kill a Wall Street Journal story about his relationship with Epstein by calling News Corp executives including Rupert Murdoch. Bondi's decision to distribute unvetted Epstein file binders to MAGA influencers at a White House event caused panic among other officials, one of whom found Trump's name in the documents mid-distribution. Bongino, furious at Bondi's handling of the matter, warned the situation could become 'President Trump's Iran-Contra' before eventually resigning in December 2025; Trump fired Bondi in April 2026. The White House has responded by asserting Trump has been 'totally exonerated' and has done more for Epstein's victims than anyone.
How coverage differed
Right-leaning outlets like the Washington Examiner, New York Post, and Fox News emphasized the internal chaos and Vance's more extreme transparency proposals — including the 'nipple claim' debate — in ways that subtly cast doubt on Vance's judgment, while left-leaning outlets like The Nation and The Independent framed the same events as evidence of broader White House dysfunction and a deliberate cover-up by Trump. Fox News notably added editorial commentary suggesting one specific allegation against Trump was 'almost certainly untrue,' a judgment absent from other outlets.
What different sources said
- AxiosCenter
"Regime Change": New book reveals Trump team's Epstein leak fears
- Fox NewsRight
Despite public dismissals, why Trump and his team were privately obsessed with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal
- Times of IndiaCenter
Situation Room with a view: Trump, Epstein and Washington’s 'wag the dog' whispers
- Washington ExaminerRight
Vance and Trump inner circle butted heads over potential Tucker Carlson interview during Epstein fallout: Book excerpt
- New York PostRight
Jeffrey Epstein panic sparked bizarre WH brainstorming session among Trump advisers, book says
- NewsweekCenter
Epstein Files Update: 5 Key Takeaways in Major New York Times Report
- The IndependentLeft
Inside Trump team’s Epstein files fumble: Situation room meetings, rushing out influencer binders and MAGA divided
- The NationFar Left
The Epstein Scandal Shows the Depth of the White House’s Dysfunction
- France 24Center
What lessons can we learn from the Epstein files?
Jeffrey Epstein Haunts the White House
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