Theo Von Calls Out JD Vance for Past Comments on Epstein Files: 'What Changed?'

Theo Von wants answers from JD Vance.

The popular podcaster on Wednesday (July 16) recalled the vice president's past comments on the Jeffrey Epstein criminal case.

Von reshared a clip from his October 2024 interview with Vance, who was once a big proponent of releasing the Epstein client list, a rumored document purported to reveal the individuals involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking activities.

“Release the list!” Von said during his sit-down with the then-U.S. senator and Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential running mate.

“Seriously,” Vance replied with a smile. “We need to release the Epstein list. That is an important thing.”

This week, an X user shared the year-old clip with the caption, “A video is going viral showing JD Vance calling for the full Epstein list to be released − on Theo Von’s podcast. Hey JD, what changed?”

Von reposted the clip along with the question: “Yeah, what changed?”

The Trump administration is facing mounting backlash for its handling of the Epstein investigation.

U.S. officials announced on July 7 that the FBI and Department of Justice had found no evidence of an Epstein “client list” or any indication that the late financier and convicted sex offender had blackmailed prominent individuals. The announcement came nearly four years after Epstein was found dead in his jail cell while awaiting trial for alleged sex crimes.

Since then, conspiracy theories about an Epstein cover-up have run rampant online and in the media. Vance and other Trump administration officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, previously peddled those theories.

In 2023, Patel suggested Congress was concealing the Epstein list to protect high-profile figures.

“You don’t think that Bill Gates is lobbying Congress night and day to prevent the disclosure of that list?” Patel said in an interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson. “[Republicans] put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are.”

Bongino previously expressed skepticism about Epstein’s death, which was ruled a suicide.

“Listen, that Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal,” he said in his 2023 podcast episode. “Please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on this.”

After the DOJ announced it would not release any more documents from the Epstein files, Bongino reportedly began clashing with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who previously suggested she had the Epstein list on her desk. 

Bongino’s future with the FBI remains uncertain, as sources recently told CNN he is considering resigning from his position. 

Trump has dismissed the Epstein client list as a “Democratic hoax” and recently criticized a reporter for questioning Bondi about the DOJ’s review of the Epstein case.

“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump asked the reporter during a July 8 Cabinet meeting. “This guy’s been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable.”