“I think the files existed at one time,” Burchett told NewsNation. “I think they were destroyed in the previous administration.”

After some files were released to influencers in February, little of use was found in the documents, and Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the FBI to find more information. After months of speculation, Justice Department officials said the list did not exist and no more files related to Epstein would be made public.Another question many hoped the files would answer was confirmation on whether Epstein died by suicide in 2019. Some believe he was murdered. In response, the DOJ released a video from inside the New York jail where he died, with little visibility, suggesting he was not killed by anyone else.

Burchett also argued that President Donald Trump could not have been implicated in the Epstein files, as Elon Musk alleged, or else the Biden administration would have presented the information.“I think if they’d ever had anything on Trump, it would have been out Day 1 under the Biden administration,” he said.“I think there’s some very prominent people,” he added. “There’s Hollywood people. I mean, I think there’s world leaders too. And would it have caused economic disruption around the globe? Maybe. But I don’t really care. I want to bury those dirtbags.”The Tennessee Republican said Bondi did not mirror his suggestions because she does not “have proof” that the files were destroyed.

“I’m just telling you what I think,” the lawmaker continued. “I’ve been around this town enough. I think she got over her skis pretty much saying all this stuff, the files are on my desk, I’m going to release it, and then she releases stuff that I knew.”“I think they all got out there, got a little excited, and I don’t think they exist,” he added.