Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: Blanche defends his handling of Epstein files
Posted
July 15, 2026
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July 15, 2026
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5:21Now PlayingActing Attorney General Todd Blanche defended on Wednesday his handling of cases and documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Blanche said the Justice Department “undertook a Herculean task to review millions and millions of potentially responsive files” after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Transparency Act, passed by Congress to force the release of materials related to Epstein.
The nominee for Attorney General acknowledged that his department made redaction mistakes and said dozens of lawyers were on call to quickly correct the errors. Several documents revealed personal information and images of survivors.
“That doesn't excuse the mistakes, of which I take responsibility,” Blanche said. “But it does mean that we tried to fix them.”
Blanche said that with regards to Epstein, the Trump administration “has been more transparent than any past administration.”
Addressing criticism that he has refused to speak with Epstein’s survivors, Blanche said the department has spoken with over 30 representatives of dozens of victims and asked survivors and their lawyers to meet with the FBI.
He added that the Justice Department will indict and prosecute people if additional information is revealed. That's a departure from the unsigned memo the FBI and Justice Department released in July 2025, while Blanche was deputy attorney general, which said investigators did not uncover evidence that would merit an investigation against people who had not been charged.
Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former defense attorney, stepped into the role of acting attorney general after Pam Bondi was fired in early April.
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