Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) believes that the long-rumored Jeffrey Epstein client list once existed — but was likely destroyed by the Biden administration to protect the powerful.

“I think the files existed at one time,” Burchett said during an interview on NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert.

“I think they were destroyed in the previous administration.”

Burchett’s comments follow the release of a Justice Department memo claiming Epstein never maintained a client list to blackmail prominent individuals — a claim that flatly contradicts years of reports, whistleblower leaks, and investigative suspicion.

The DOJ also reaffirmed its long-disputed claim that Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, insisting there was no foul play involved — despite multiple irregularities surrounding his death and numerous unanswered questions.

But Burchett, a consistent voice for transparency, wasn’t buying it. And he made clear: if Donald Trump’s name were on any such list, the Biden DOJ would have weaponized it immediately.

“I think if they’d ever had anything on Trump, it would have been out Day 1 under the Biden administration,” he said.

Burchett pointed instead to the real targets of a possible cover-up: powerful global elites.

“I think there’s some very prominent people. There’s Hollywood people… I think there’s world leaders too,” he said. “And would it have caused economic disruption around the globe? Maybe. But I don’t really care. I want to bury those dirtbags.”

Asked why Attorney General Pam Bondi hasn’t directly stated that the files were destroyed, Burchett responded honestly:

“She doesn’t have any proof of it.”

Still, he remained resolute in his assessment:

“I’m just telling you what I think. 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.”

The DOJ’s claim that no client list exists has been met with growing skepticism — especially from MAGA Republicans who are demanding accountability. Trump-era officials like FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have come under pressure as well, after previously expressing public belief that explosive Epstein evidence would surface.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to downplay the controversy, saying the DOJ’s conclusion followed an “exhaustive review of all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and his death.”

Leavitt also noted that the Trump administration had previously withheld some material “because of its graphic content” — suggesting it was too disturbing to release publicly.

Still, questions linger. In 2019, during President Trump’s first term, Epstein was arrested and charged with operating an underage sex-trafficking ring from 2002 to 2005. He died a month later in custody — under mysterious circumstances.

Now, years later, the Biden DOJ is telling the American people that no further information exists.

But others who were close to Epstein at the end of his life are stepping forward to defend Trump. Attorney David Schoen, who represented Epstein in the final days before his death, issued a firm rebuttal to conspiracy claims tying Trump to Epstein’s network.

“I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein’s defense as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump,” Schoen posted to X. “I specifically asked him!”

Meanwhile, the FBI has admitted its searches of Epstein records are ongoing — yet continues to delay releasing any material that could provide clarity or accountability.

A joint memo obtained by Fox News revealed that neither the DOJ nor FBI has additional material to release at this time — and offered no timeline for when or if anything else would be made public.