TUCKER CARLSON CLAIMS TRUMP PERSONALLY ORDERED EPSTEIN FILES TO BE WITHHELD
Tucker Carlson has alleged in a new Vanity Fair interview that President Donald Trump personally directed officials to withhold or bury records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Carlson said he urged Trump in the summer of 2025 to release the Epstein files and asked why he would not do so. According to Carlson, Trump responded with an extended emotional explanation, arguing that the controversy was part of a political effort against him.
Carlson is reportedly the first prominent former Trump ally to publicly claim that the decision came directly from Trump. The White House has not confirmed Carlson’s account and, when asked about the allegation, reportedly pointed to a previous Trump post attacking Carlson.
The allegation comes amid renewed scrutiny over the handling of the Epstein files. In February 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox News that an Epstein-related “client list” was on her desk for review and described the review as being directed by Trump.
Several months later, the DOJ and FBI released a memo stating that investigators had found no incriminating “client list” and that further disclosure of the files was not warranted
Carlson has also been critical of Trump’s handling of the issue alongside other former allies, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie, who had pushed for greater disclosure of the Epstein records.
Trump has publicly attacked some of those former allies, calling them “losers” on Truth Social.
The Epstein case remains highly sensitive because of the sexual abuse of women and girls by Epstein and continuing questions about who knew about his activities, who may have assisted him and how authorities handled the case.
The latest allegations by Carlson remain unverified. His account describes a private conversation, and no public transcript or independent evidence establishing that Trump personally ordered records to be withheld has been released.