Controversy over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files had dogged the Trump administration for weeks. So as Congress went on their typical August recess, President Donald Trump’s team began discussing ways they could finally get ahead of the story.

They debated in particular whether to release audio and transcripts from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein associate who herself was convicted on federal charges stemming from his alleged sexual abuse of children, officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

They considered a number of things, including ensuring that victims’ names would be redacted and contemplating whether those redactions would fuel a backlash and allegations of a coverup.

“This wasn’t handled well,” one senior White

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