CNN anchor Erin Burnett cut off Rep. Nancy Mace during a heated on-air clash over President Donald Trump’s stance on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Mace, 47, is one of just four Republicans who signed the discharge petition that forced a House vote on a bill to release the Justice Department’s files related to the pedophile sex trafficker.
The South Carolina congresswoman claimed on Erin Burnett OutFront on Monday evening that Trump was now “on board” with making public all the documents related to his late friend—despite his previous efforts to keep the materials sealed.
With pressure building among his MAGA support base, Trump—who has always denied any criminality or wrongdoing related to Epstein—has appeared to change his position in the past days.
But when Mace pivoted to blaming former President Joe Biden and the media for supposedly silencing victims, Burnett pushed back and intervened mid-answer.
After Mace argued Democrats “could have done this under President Biden,” and complained that the media wanted “clickbait” about Trump rather than the stories of survivors, the presenter cut in to defend the program.
“I’m quite proud that on this program we’ve had every victim of Jeffrey Epstein that was willing to speak,” Burnett said, before noting Trump said over the weekend that “only a very bad or stupid Republican” would vote to release the files.
Mace insisted Trump had “come around,” adding: “Biden never gave these women a chance. And that’s the story you all aren’t telling.”
Burnett fired back, pointing out that the Justice Department’s prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell—which led to the 63-year-old’s conviction and imprisonment—took place under Biden.
She added that Maxwell was only this summer transferred to a minimum-security federal prison camp after meeting Trump’s deputy attorney general and former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche.”
Mace then tried to reroute the exchange again, claiming Epstein victims are still targeted.
“Victims who come forward, they’re sued, they’re smeared, they’re defamed in the press,” she said. “That’s why women don’t come forward.”
Burnett ended the interview by congratulating Mace and the three other Republicans who have helped force the vote.
The Daily Beast has contacted Mace’s representatives for comment.
