Overview
- At a Turning Point USA Q&A on Tuesday at the University of Georgia, Vice President JD Vance called Jeffrey Epstein a “scumbag.”
- Vance said emails he reviewed show Epstein hated President Donald Trump and claimed one note described Trump telling local sheriffs to “pick him up.”
- He argued Trump’s “hoax” comment referred to the idea that Trump was Epstein’s “best friend,” not to Epstein’s crimes or network.
- Coverage from critics pointed to Trump’s past quotes and photos with Epstein to challenge Vance’s framing of their relationship.
- A recent federal ruling dismissed Trump’s defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal without prejudice, keeping the dispute over Epstein-related reporting in the spotlight.