Ro Khanna

The fallout from the Epstein files sparked debate among top Trump administration officials, resulting in a series of tense Situation Room meetings throughout the summer of 2025, although the files were released Dec. 19, 2025, by the Department of Justice.

Vance reportedly advocated transparency, while other aides, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, disagreed over how to handle unverified claims, revealing internal divisions as President Donald Trump worked to move past the controversy, calling it a “hoax.”

“I had no idea about the lengths that Vance and Bondi and Blanche and Susie Wiles were going to, to cover all of this up,” Khanna said.

Khanna sharply criticized Vance, noting that the vice president once had genuine populist instincts and said that since becoming Trump’s second-in-command, Vance has abandoned his principles. “I’ve known JD Vance before he became Trump’s minion, and Vance initially had some populist instincts,” Khanna said.

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“He was against wars, he initially was talking about bringing manufacturing home. He understood the Epstein issue; he understood that they needed to be released. What is sad is that he totally compromised his ideology,” Khanna said.

Khanna also noted that Vance could have spoken up anytime about the files, saying, “He could have gone to Donald Trump and said, ‘Release these files,’ instead, he becomes a part of the orchestration of a cover-up, and it’s really a tragedy.”