GOP rep says he believes Epstein files were destroyed

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday he believes a so-called “client list” associated with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein once existed but was "destroyed" by the Biden administration.

“I think the files existed at one time," Burchett said in an interview on NewsNation’s “On Balance” with host Leland Vittert. "I think they were destroyed in the previous administration."

The Justice Department (DOJ) released a memo earlier this week concluding that Epstein did not keep such a list that was allegedly used to blackmail high-profile individuals — contradicting conspiracy theories circulating for years that suggested otherwise.

The memo also concluded that the convicted sex offender died in his New York City jail cell in 2019 by suicide, refuting other claims that he died under suspicious circumstances.

Burchett pushed back on suggestions by former Trump adviser Elon Musk and other media influencers that the president was among the individuals whose names were included in the files associated with Epstein.

“I think if they'd ever had anything on Trump, it would have been out day one under the Biden administration,” the Tennessee Republican said.

“I think there's some very prominent people. There's Hollywood people," he added. "I mean, I think there's world leaders too. And would it have caused economic disruption around the globe? maybe. But I don't really care. I want to bury those dirtbags."

Asked why Attorney General Pam Bondi would not simply say that the evidence has been destroyed, Burchett said, “She doesn't have any proof of it.”

“I'm just telling you what I think. I've been around this town enough,” the lawmaker continued. “I think she got over her skis pretty much saying all this stuff, the files are on my desk, I'm going to release it, and then she releases stuff that I knew.”

“I think they all got out there, got a little excited, and I don't think they exist,” he added, referring to the files.

The interview comes amid backlash from segments of the right-wing media ecosphere following the release of the DOJ memo.

Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, in particular, have come under scrutiny from prominent voices in the MAGA movement who have questioned whether the government is covering up salacious information surrounding Epstein. Patel and Bongino are among those who had pushed such ideas before joining the government.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week that DOJ's conclusion is the result of an “exhaustive review of all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and his death.”

She noted there was some material the Trump administration did not release due to its graphic nature.

Epstein was federally charged in 2019 on allegations that he led a sex trafficking operation involving underage girls from 2002 to 2005. He died in prison a month later, before the case could go to trial. He had earlier pleaded guilty to separate sexual misconduct charges.