Tennessee GOP candidate Matt Van Epps campaigned on Steve Bannon’s War Room the day before the special election, telling the host he was “honored to be on” with him, despite recent revelations of Bannon’s close personal relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom The Byline Times described as “Bannon's strategic and operational partner.”
Last month, the House Oversight Committee released a slew of documents from the Epstein estate that revealed Bannon helped the disgraced financier in his attempt to rehabilitate his image following his sex crime convictions. They also revealed that Epstein coached Bannon in public appearances and political endeavors. Their messages continued up until the day of Epstein’s 2019 arrest on charges of sex trafficking minors.
Since the publication of their communications, Bannon has been silent about Epstein, though he previously called for disclosure around the Epstein files. In July, Bannon asked, Why “has DOJ not just done one basic thing and gone to the courts and say we want to unseal all the records associated with Epstein so the American people can see it, and then release those?”
Some members of Bannon’s audience have started to notice his avoidance of the topic, posting online statements such as “Release your epstein footage Bannon I'm disappointed in you man. I feel like you lied to us,” “No word on Epstein, huh?” and “The WarRoom Posse calls for Bannon to explain his relationship with Epstein."
Compared to others in Epstein's orbit, Bannon's status as the “comeback consultant” has thus far escaped scrutiny from many corners in the right — though right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro did highlight the close relationship between the two men, calling Bannon’s involvement with Epstein “quite damning.”
The Epstein files have been an issue in the Tennessee 7th district special election. When asked, “The files are there, why not just release them?” Van Epps responded, “They are taking a deliberative approach with subpoena power so they can fully investigate the situation and hold those accountable that need to be held accountable for the heinous crimes that happened.”
Weeks later, he made an appearance by phone with someone who “plotted to redeem” the convicted sex offender.
During the December 1 appearance, Van Epps told Bannon his opponent in a special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District wants to “defund the police, abolish prisons” and “supports transgender surgery for minors without parental consent.” Bannon promised Van Epps “this audience wants to get involved” and called him a “warrior and patriot.”