Tucker Carlson Claims Trump ‘Directly’ Ordered Epstein Files Cover-Up, Gave ‘Very Emotional’ Reason

Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson via Tucker on X

Tucker Carlson is claiming President Donald Trump is “directly” responsible for covering up the Epstein Files, revealing behind-the-scenes talks between the two before their falling out.

Carlson spoke with Vanity Fair’s Chris Whipple for a lengthy piece about his friend Vice President JD Vance. The deep dive, published on Wednesday, included Carlson claiming Trump told him why he had an interest in covering up files related to the late child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Carlson said:

My position from the beginning with Trump, I said it to Trump, was, ‘I don’t understand why you would ever keep any of this stuff secret.’ And I got like a bunch of different answers.” Carlson was unconvinced by the president’s explanations for why the files had been withheld: “I don’t feel any need to cover for Epstein. So I said, ‘You shouldn’t either.’ In the end, it came from Trump directly.

When Whipple asked Carlson what exactly came “directly” from Trump, the former Fox News host said, “The order to cover it up came from Trump. I asked him why. And he gave me this long, very emotional explanation that this was all a plot against him, like Russiagate.”

White House spokesperson Lauren Bis pushed back in a statement, declaring Trump totally “exonerated” when it comes to his former friend Epstein.

The statement reads:

Just as President Trump has said, he’s been totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein. And by releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and calling for more investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, President Trump has done more for Epstein’s victims than anyone before him.

The release of the Epstein Files, forced through a congressional vote, and strikes on Iran led Carlson to go from a staunch Trump supporter to one of his most vocal critics on the right. He and others objected to the handling of the files and the heavy redactions in the files released.

Epstein was a registered sex offender facing sex trafficking charges when he died of an apparent suicide in 2019. His longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years for sex trafficking, which the Department of Justice said she did in coordination with Epstein. This and statements from victims alleging a broader conspiracy has led critics to accuse the administration of covering up prominent figures Epstein may have been sex trafficking for.

Trump has repeatedly referred to these theories as a “hoax.”

“This is a Democrat hoax that never ends! You know, it reminds me a little of the Kennedy situation. We gave him everything, over and over again, more and more, and nobody’s ever satisfied,” he said earlier this month.

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