Conservative commentator Scott Jennings on Thursday accused Democrats of strategically weaponizing the Jeffrey Epstein files to score political points. Speaking during a panel discussion on “The Arena,” Jennings argued that while the records must be released in accordance with congressional law, the current narrative is being twisted into a coordinated effort to smear President Donald Trump through selective leaks and misleading context.
Jennings drew a direct line between the current discourse and the 2016 election cycle.
“You have Democrat after Democrat after Democrat, even Hillary Clinton just a little while ago, all too happy to go on television and cast aspersions on his [Trump’s] character, using this idea that while his name appears in the files, they’re trying to mislead the American people,” Jennings said. “It’s the Steele dossier all over again. That’s all this is. Let’s throw out something and hope it sticks, even though there’s no evidence whatsoever.”
The reference to the Steele dossier invokes the controversial 2016 research compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. That research, funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, contained unverified claims of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia which the FBI later used to obtain surveillance warrants.
Addressing the delay in the full release of the Epstein records, Jennings noted that authorities are dealing with a massive volume of paperwork spread across various jurisdictions. He explained that officials must sift through duplicative or irrelevant materials before the public gets a look.
“If the files can be released, and they should be released according to the law that Congress passed, they should do that. Now, I know they have a process for going through these documents, and it’s weeding out things that are duplicative or not germane. And, as was explained yesterday, here, there are files all over the country, apparently, and they’re still collecting them. So I get the process may be a little more onerous than perhaps many people know regarding Trump,” Jennings said.
Jennings also highlighted Trump’s specific history with the investigation, suggesting the President’s role was more aligned with that of a tipster than a participant.
“If they end up asking him [Trump] questions, I assume he’s going to end up testifying somewhat about the whistleblower status that he has in these files. The only real true thing that we know is that he called up the police in Florida and said, ‘You need to look at this. You need to look at this guy. You need to look at Ghislaine Maxwell.’ He was telling them, he was warning them, about what Jeffrey Epstein was doing.”
Records indicate that Trump contacted the Palm Beach Police Department back in 2006 to alert them of Epstein’s behavior toward underage girls. During a call to then-Police Chief Michael Reiter, Trump reportedly stated, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him,” and specifically urged authorities to keep an eye on Ghislaine Maxwell.
In July 2025, Trump reiterated that he had barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in the early 2000s after accusing the financier of attempting to poach employees from the club’s spa.
Other reports suggest the ban followed Epstein’s alleged pursuit of a club member’s underage daughter. Additionally, a December report noted that Trump cut all ties following a complaint from an 18-year-old cosmetologist regarding Epstein’s inappropriate conduct.
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