Camilla Jessen
‘Pretty gross’: Vance on America’s elite circles.
JD Vance has criticized what he called the “incestuous nature” of America’s most powerful social circles following the release of a new tranche of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
Files resurface
More than three million documents were released last week as part of the federal investigation into the late financier.
The material included emails involving prominent figures such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk, as well as images connected to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The disclosures renewed scrutiny of how wealth and influence intersected around Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump set apart
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Tuesday, February 3, Vance argued that Trump should not be grouped with those implicated in the files.
“President Trump is very much outside of the social circle,” Vance said. “He knows a lot of these people. He certainly has similar wealth and power. But he never really was friendly with Epstein in a way that a lot of these other people were.”
Vance added that the documents reflected poorly on many of those named.
“I think that it just shows there’s an incestuous nature to America’s elites, and it’s pretty gross,” he said. “And, a lot of people, I think, it reflects very poorly on them.”
Trump’s position
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
He has acknowledged that the two men once knew each other but has said their relationship ended in 2004, years before Epstein was arrested and later convicted on sex-related charges.
The president has consistently sought to distance himself from the disgraced financier, rejecting claims that he was part of Epstein’s inner circle.
Images and response
Despite those denials, Trump appeared in photographs and documents released by the House Oversight Committee in December.
These included images of Trump pictured with women whose faces were blurred, as well as a photo showing his likeness in cartoon form on “Trump Condoms” sold as novelty items.
Following that release, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson accused Democrats of selectively presenting material.
She described the disclosures as “cherry picking” files with “random redactions to create a false narrative.”
“The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked,” Jackson said, adding that the Trump administration had pushed for transparency and further investigations.
Sources: Daily Mail, US Department of Justice, White House statements, LadBible
