Blanche: Epstein files ‘should not be a part of anything going forward’ at DOJ

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is taking heat for seeking to distance himself from the Epstein files, saying they “should not be a part of anything going forward.”

The comments came during an interview late Thursday with Fox News’s Jesse Watters, who asked Blanche if he would agree that the files were “not handled well.”

Blanche went on to defend fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying her removal by President Trump had nothing to do with the investigation into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But Blanche also appeared to suggest the Department of Justice (DOJ) should now be able to turn the page on the saga.

“Look, the Epstein files has been a saga that’s lasted for the entire for the past year, and what happened when the president signed the Transparency Act is the Department of Justice has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga and the Attorney General. Bondi and I appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago to answer any questions they had,” he said, adding the lawmakers may also come view the unredacted files at DOJ’s offices.

“And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.”

The Justice Department has not released all the Epstein files. DOJ initially said there were roughly 6 million pages of records in the files, but it has released roughly 3 million. The department said they have withheld duplicates as well as other records 

But they’ve also been accused of withholding records related to Trump, including from a woman who spoke to the FBI four times after saying the president abused her when she was a minor. That issue prompted the Justice Department to go back and release additional files it said were withheld in error, but reporters said page numbers indicate about 30 pages of that record are still missing.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have accused DOJ of failing to comply with the law mandating the file’s public release.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee which has been investigating the issue, said DOJ has still failed to release all the Epstein files.

“This is a lie. About 50% of the files have been released and per our subpoena it’s illegal to withhold them,” he wrote on X.

“Blanche may think it’s over, but we are just getting started.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) addressed missing records as soon as it was announced Blanche would take over.

“Congratulations AG Blanche. Now you have 30 days to release the rest of the files before becoming criminally liable for failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” he wrote on X.

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