CNN aired a stunning 33-second clip featuring top Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, promising or demanding the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files.
The clip has intensified scrutiny over a controversial dinner scheduled for that evening at Vice President JD Vance’s residence, allegedly meant to coordinate the administration’s response to the unfolding Epstein scandal.
The video, aired during Jake Tapper’s The Lead, showed Bondi and Patel publicly pushing for the release of key Epstein documents, transcripts, and recordings, some of which reportedly include over 10 hours of interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice. Patel, in particular, issued a fiery statement calling for “real transparency” after previously being questioned why the FBI continues to protect “the greatest pederast in human history” before he took on the role.
The dinner itself was already under the microscope. According to multiple administration sources who spoke to CNN, the gathering was organized as a strategy session to align messaging on how to handle the increasingly damaging fallout from the Epstein case. The expected attendees included JD Vance, Bondi, Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who conducted the two-day Maxwell interview last month.
But as media attention surged and CNN’s reporting gained traction, the dinner’s status became uncertain. “As of Wednesday afternoon, officials say the dinner is now in flux,” Tapper reported. “It’s unclear whether it will be called off, moved, or rescheduled.”
Despite the denials from Vice President Vance’s office, which claimed no such meeting was taking place, multiple sources inside the administration confirmed to CNN that the dinner was indeed on the calendar, even if not formally labeled a “strategy meeting” about Epstein. “They’re being very careful with how they parse these words,” CNN’s Kristen Holmes added.
Protesters are outside the Vice President’s house in anticipation of a dinner meeting concerning the Epstein files. Media reports are saying the meeting may be postponed. pic.twitter.com/IOtnF90eBR
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) August 6, 2025
The administration remains sharply divided on how much Epstein-related material to release. One official told CNN the internal discord is “as bad as it’s ever been,” with Bondi and Patel clashing over whether unredacted documents should be published immediately. CNN’s report referenced a prior incident in which a similar closed-door meeting ended with Deputy Director Dan Bongino storming out after accusations of leaking Epstein information.
CNN’s Tapper used the segment to directly call on the Trump administration to prioritize victims, not optics. The family of Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein accuser who died by suicide earlier this year, issued a statement condemning the lack of survivor involvement in the meeting. “The victims’ voices must be heard above all,” they wrote.
Beyond the Maxwell interviews, Tapper pointed to other unreleased files, including Treasury Department documents viewed by Senator Ron Wyden. These records allegedly show more than $1 billion flowing through Epstein-linked accounts, including transactions via Russian banks that may be tied to trafficking operations.
BREAKING: In an insane moment, trump erupts when asked about the strategy dinner JD Vance was to have with Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Todd Blanche. “The whole thing is a hoax… is total bullsh*t.”
End the bullsh*t: Release the Epstein files.pic.twitter.com/GZikLVwF8z
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) August 6, 2025
CNN reported that the administration is considering a more public-facing strategy, possibly having Todd Blanche conduct a high-profile interview or podcast appearance, with Joe Rogan floated as a possibility to get ahead of criticism.
Yet for all the backpedaling and mixed signals, the 33-second video of Bondi and Patel making bold public promises now hangs over the administration like a cloud. “You could release all of this right now if you wanted to,” Tapper said. “We know that.”
With subpoenas from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee already on the table, public patience is thinning. The longer the Trump administration delays, the more accusations of a cover-up are likely to mount.
