At a North Carolina rally for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, a protester standing behind Vice President JD Vance shouted, "Release the Epstein files!" The man was escorted out as the crowd erupted into chants of "U-S-A." Vance, 42, turned to the crowd and responded with a joke that began by claiming there had been "zero illegal border crossings" and concluded, "But one isn't bad, right?" That remark drew laughter from supporters and was widely reported as implying the heckler was an illegal immigrant because he was not white. Vance has previously pushed for release of the Epstein materials alongside former President Donald Trump but later acknowledged communication failures about what the government actually had. The White House directed questions to Vance's office, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
