Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche took to the airwaves Thursday night to address the swirling controversy surrounding the Department of Justice’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s records. Speaking with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Blanche defended the department’s recent actions just as he prepares to take the reins as acting head of the DOJ following the departure of Pam Bondi.
The transition comes amid a period of public friction. While President Donald Trump recently tapped Blanche to lead the department, the move follows a series of frustrations regarding Bondi’s tenure.
Watters pointedly asked Blanche if he believed the former Attorney General had mishandled the highly scrutinized Epstein files—a topic that has dominated political headlines for over a year.
“I have never heard President Trump say that anything that happened to her had anything to do with the Epstein files,” Blanche responded, downplaying rumors of a specific fallout over the documents. He noted that the “Epstein saga” has been a year-long process, but argued that the DOJ has fulfilled its obligations since the President signed the Transparency Act.
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The history of these files has been rocky. In early 2025, Bondi made headlines by claiming she had Epstein’s client list directly on her desk, even distributing binders to influencers at the White House. However, internal tensions spiked in July when a DOJ memo contradicted those claims, stating no such “client list” existed and reaffirming that Epstein’s death was a suicide.
In March, the House Oversight Committee pushed for more answers, with five Republicans joining Democrats in a bipartisan vote to subpoena Bondi. Blanche emphasized that both he and Bondi had already made efforts to be transparent with lawmakers.
“Attorney General Bondi and I appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago to answer any questions they had,” Blanche told Watters. He noted that every member of Congress was given access to view both redacted and unredacted documents upon request.
Despite these efforts, Trump’s private dissatisfaction with Bondi reportedly grew over the slow pace of investigations into figures like James Comey and Adam Schiff. On Truth Social, the President had previously questioned her leadership, reportedly labeling her “weak” in private circles.
As the Justice Department continues to release documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Blanche signaled a desire to move past the controversy. “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,” he said.
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