On Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back against criticism surrounding the Justice Department’s ongoing release of documents tied to convicted the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, insisting that references to President Trump are not being removed, and that all redactions are focused on protecting victims.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Blanche said the department is undertaking a massive review process involving hundreds of attorneys examining roughly a million pages of records, most of which contain sensitive victim information. He said the scope of the material explains why the rollout has been gradual, despite complaints that the administration missed a 30-day deadline set by Congress.
The initial batch of files released Friday drew sharp reactions from victim advocates and lawmakers, who described the materials as heavily redacted and lacking substantive new details. Some Democrats accused the administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed last month, while a handful of Republicans also criticized the Justice Department for temporarily removing documents after they were posted.
Mr. Blanche said: “You’re talking about a million or so pages of documents — virtually all of them contain victim information,” and rejected claims that the department is shielding the president. “We are not redacting information around President Trump,” he said, adding that suggestions to the contrary are unfounded.
At the center of the controversy was the temporary removal of more than a dozen photographs from the Justice Department’s website, including an image showing a tabletop or credenza displaying framed photos of Epstein with prominent figures. An open drawer in the photo contained printed images of Trump with women in bathing suits. Mr. Blanche said: “It has nothing to do with President Trump. The absurdity of pulling down a single photo because of President Trump is laughable.” He explained that the images were taken down after victim advocacy groups raised concerns that some women pictured might be Epstein victims, “so we pulled that photo down.”
In a separate explanation to NBC News, Blanche said, “We don’t have perfect information. And so when, when we hear from victims-rights groups about this type of photograph, we pull it down and investigate. We’re still investigating that photo. The photo will go back up, and the only question is whether there will be redactions on the photo.”
Later Sunday, the Justice Department confirmed the image had been flagged by the Southern District of New York and was temporarily removed “out of an abundance of caution.” After review, officials said it was reposted without changes. The department wrote on X. “The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims. Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”
Blanche also addressed mounting political pressure over the pace of the document release, saying delays are necessary to ensure compliance with the law’s victim-protection requirements, “the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that to protect victims. We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the [Epstein Files] Transparency Act expects.”
Lawmakers from both parties voiced frustration, however, Blanche dismissed those attacks – saying critics are ignoring the need to safeguard victims. He described them as “the same individuals who apparently don’t want us to protect victims,” and added that the department would not change course.
Amid accusations that the administration is concealing damaging information, Blanche flatly denied any cover-up involving the president: “I have no reason to believe that the lawyers that were working on this case were talking about President Trump, because he had nothing to do with the Epstein files. He had nothing to do with the horrific crimes that Mr. Epstein committed. We are not redacting information around President Trump, around any other individual involved with Mr. Epstein, and that narrative, which is not based on fact at all, is completely false.”
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