11. June 2026

NIPPLE GATE: White House in Panic Over Epstein Files

WASHINGTON — Senior advisers to President Donald Trump convened a series of high-level meetings in the White House Situation Room last year without the president present as officials struggled to determine how to handle mounting pressure over the release of records connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report published Wednesday by The New York Times.

The meetings, detailed in the newspaper’s account, underscore the political and internal challenges facing the administration as demands intensified from both supporters and critics for greater transparency regarding the Epstein files. The deliberations reportedly brought together some of the most influential figures in Trump’s administration, including Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.

According to The Times, officials gathered repeatedly in the Situation Room — a secure facility typically reserved for national security crises, military operations and foreign policy emergencies — to navigate a controversy that had become an increasingly significant political liability for the White House.

The report describes sharp disagreements among top officials over how much information should be released and whether potentially damaging or unverified material involving Trump should be made public.

Vance reportedly argued that all Epstein-related records should be disclosed, including documents containing unsubstantiated allegations involving the president. The vice president’s position, according to the newspaper, failed to gain widespread support among senior administration officials who were concerned about the political consequences of releasing unverified claims.

The disagreement reportedly exposed broader tensions within Trump’s inner circle. According to The Times, Wiles privately characterized Vance as an “Epstein conspiracy theorist” during discussions surrounding the issue.

The newspaper also reported that friction between then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and senior FBI officials, including Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, intensified as officials debated how to proceed.

One particularly contentious discussion centered on an uncorroborated allegation involving Trump that had surfaced years earlier. According to The Times, officials debated whether the president would approve the release of the claim as part of a broader disclosure effort. The allegation was never substantiated, and the report noted that its inclusion became the subject of extensive internal debate.

The revelations provide a rare glimpse into the administration’s behind-the-scenes efforts to contain a controversy that persisted even after the government released millions of pages of Epstein-related documents in January.

Despite the large-scale release, the issue continued to resonate politically.

According to The Times, a confidential memorandum prepared by Trump’s pollster found that participants in focus groups conducted in March ranked the Epstein files as the sixth most important issue facing the country. The findings suggested that public interest in the matter remained significant months after the records were made public.

The newspaper’s account was adapted from the forthcoming book “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” written by reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

Congressional inquiries continue

The Epstein case continued to generate developments elsewhere in Washington this week as congressional investigators pursued additional testimony from individuals connected to the late financier.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday and told lawmakers he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and never witnessed any conduct that would have alerted him to the extent of Epstein’s crimes.

According to committee members, Gates testified that Epstein attempted to use information about Gates’ personal life, including extramarital relationships, as a means of gaining influence and maintaining contact with the billionaire philanthropist.

Gates has previously acknowledged meeting with Epstein on multiple occasions after Epstein had already pleaded guilty to sex-related charges in Florida, a decision Gates has repeatedly described as a mistake.

Meanwhile, Lesley Groff, a longtime assistant to Epstein, provided testimony to the House Oversight Committee during an interview Tuesday.

According to two Democratic members of the committee, Groff said she arranged several phone conversations between Epstein and Trump over the years. However, she reportedly characterized the communications as limited and said the contacts were not frequent.

Trump has long maintained that he severed his relationship with Epstein years before the financier’s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

The latest disclosures highlight the enduring political sensitivity surrounding Epstein, whose network of wealthy and influential associates has remained the subject of intense public scrutiny years after his death. Although multiple government agencies have released thousands of documents related to investigations into Epstein and his associates, demands for additional transparency have continued from lawmakers, activists and members of the public seeking answers about the full scope of his activities and connections.