Former Vice President Kamala Harris gave a rambling response when questioned about the Biden administration's decision not to release Epstein files during a recent appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'. She emphasized the separation between the administration and the Department of Justice. The exchange highlights ongoing scrutiny over the handling of those documents.
Kamala Harris, appearing on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' this week, faced questions about why the Biden administration did not release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein while in office. Host Jimmy Kimmel directly asked Harris about the matter, prompting a response that Harris herself acknowledged might not satisfy curiosity.
"To give you an answer that will not satisfy your curiosity, I will tell you, perhaps to our damage, um, but we strongly and rightly believed that there should be an absolute separation between what we wanted as an administration and what the Department of Justice did. We absolutely adhered to that, and it was right to do that," Harris said. She added, "The Justice Department would make its decisions independent of any political or personal, uh, vendetta or concern that we may have and that’s the way it worked."
The discussion occurred amid broader conversation criticizing President Donald Trump. Harris's appearance follows her 2024 election loss to Trump, where she secured 226 electoral votes to his 312. Recently, she has hinted at a potential 2028 presidential run. In an October interview, Harris stated, "I am not done. I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones." She told the BBC that she might become the first female president.
Criticism of the Biden administration's approach to the Epstein files has come from within Democratic circles. Former MSNBC host Joy Reid, speaking on 'The Breakfast Club' earlier this month, questioned former Attorney General Merrick Garland's inaction. "I don’t understand why he escapes the smoke. Even the Epstein files thing... Merrick Garland was there for four years. What were you doing?" Reid said. She added, "The Epstein files. Merrick, what were you doing? For four years? You had the same evidence, the same files. Why didn’t you release them? Merrick Garland did, to me, nothing for four years. He might as well not have been there."
This episode underscores persistent questions about transparency regarding the Epstein case under the previous administration.
