(WASHINGTON) — Former Vice President Mike Pence joined the chorus of Republicans calling on the Trump administration to release files about the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling CBS News in an interview that he believes the administration should release all of the files about Epstein — breaking with the president he once served under.
“I think the time has come for the administration to release all of the files regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation and prosecution,” Pence said in the Wednesday interview.
Asked if he believes there should be an inquiry into if accomplices to Epstein should be exposed to criminal prosecution, Pence said, “I just think we ought to get the facts to the American people. I’ve always believed in transparency.”
“It’s important that we protect the names of the victims. They should be excluded from any disclosure. But whether or not the facts justify charges, I think that anyone who participated or was associated with this despicable man ought to be held up to public scrutiny.”
In recent weeks, many of President Donald Trump’s most prominent supporters and congressional Republicans continue to demand answers about the files.
Pence is more moderate ideologically than many of the high-profile names calling for the files to be released. More broadly, Pence has threaded a needle over the first six months of Trump’s second presidency, occasionally critiquing and occasionally praising the second-term policies or opinions of the president who he once served under.
Trump continued Wednesday to dismiss calls within his own party for more transparency into the Epstein investigation and made claims, without evidence, that the controversy was designed to undermine him.
In a lengthy social media post, which included references to the president’s previous claims about the 2017 Russian election interference probe, Trump blamed Democrats for creating what he called a “scam” and “hoax.”
Asked what Trump means when he says the Epstein controversy is a “hoax,” Pence didn’t answer directly, but said Epstein’s prosecution began during the Bush administration and continued during the Obama administration.
“I know of no reason why this administration, once the victims’ names are protected, should not release all the files on Jeffrey Epstein,” Pence added.
The Justice Department and FBI earlier this month stated they found no evidence the deceased financier kept a “client list” of associates whom he blackmailed or conspired with to victimize dozens of women.
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