Deputy AG Blanche defends Epstein files release amid criticism from survivors
- - Deputy AG Blanche defends Epstein files release amid criticism from survivors
QUINN SCANLANFebruary 1, 2026 at 9:44 PM
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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department's release of more than 3 million pages from the department's files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as survivors and lawmakers criticize the disclosure as insufficient and filled with redaction errors.
"We took great pains, as I explained on Friday, to make sure that we protected victims," Blanche told ABC News' "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos. "Every time we hear from a victim or their lawyer that they believe that their name was not properly redacted, we immediately rectify that."
Blanche said that redaction errors only impact "about .001% of all the materials."
Latest release of Epstein files includes some survivors' names, despite DOJ assurances, lawyers say
"We knew this -- I said this on Friday -- that that, of course, the nature of this type of review was so -- the volume of materials that were reviewed, that there would be times when this happened. And so we're, we're working hard to make sure that we fix that, and I expect that that will continue," he said.
ABC News - PHOTO: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appears on ABC News' "This Week" on Feb. 1, 2026.
A group of Epstein survivors issued a statement Friday slamming the latest release, and demanding accountability for others they say either enabled Epstein or have been accused of abuse by victims as well.
"Survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous," the group of survivors wrote. "The Justice Department cannot claim it is finished releasing files until every legally required document is released and every abuser and enabler is fully exposed."
But save for the possibility a judge approves the release of a "small number of [additional] documents," Blanche said the department's review of Epstein-related files is "over."
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"This review is, is over. I mean, we reviewed over 6 million pieces of paper, thousands of videos, thousands -- tens of thousands of images, and -- which is what the statute required us to do," Blanche said.
The deputy attorney general also criticized lawmakers who were "quick to complain" about the release.
"There is no way they have spent any time looking at the materials we produced. Because I know the materials we produced. We produce them on Friday. By Saturday, they're already complaining about what we did?" Blanche said.
He reiterated that lawmakers can request to view the unredacted materials, but said he had not received a letter from the co-authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act asking to do so.
"I didn't get that letter yet. They leaked it to the press before they actually sent it to me," Blanche said. "We have nothing to hide. We never did, and our doors are open if they want to come and review any of the materials that we produced."
Jon Elswick/AP - PHOTO: Justice Department Jeffrey Epstein
Here are more highlights from Blanche's interview:
On detained 5-year-old, father released after judge's order
On Sunday morning, 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were released from a detention center in Texas following a judge's order Saturday. They boarded a flight to return to Minneapolis, where they had both been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Jan. 22.
In his order, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery criticized the administration's immigration tactics, including its use of administrative warrants to make immigration arrests.
"Civics lesson to the government: Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called the fox guarding the henhouse. The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer," the judge wrote.
Blanche said the administration will appeal.
"The body of immigration law is much different than our typical criminal process because of the administrative nature of what we do every day. And so, to the extent that we need to appeal that judge's decision, I promise we will," Blanche said on "This Week."
5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, father board plane for Minneapolis after detention center release
Blanche said he did not "have a comment specifically on what the judge said," but added that "generally speaking, we are complying with the law every single day."
On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said the child was not targeted or arrested and accused the father of "abandoning his child."
"Our officers made multiple attempts to get the alleged mother who was inside the house to take custody of her child. Officers even assured her she would NOT be taken her into custody. The alleged mother refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
Officials at the child's school previously offered a different account, saying, "Another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let them take care of the small child, but was refused."
ABC News previously reported that they had a pending asylum case but no order of deportation directing that they be removed from the U.S.
Lawyers for the father and son have said they were following the legal process to claim asylum. Blanche disputed that.
"That is not true. There's a very meaningful dispute about whether they had properly applied for asylum," Blanche said.
On probes and prosecutions targeting Trump's opponents
Several of President Donald Trump's perceived political enemies, who he has publicly attacked and at times even appeared to directly call for legal action against, have been prosecuted or are being investigated by his administration. Among them: former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff, Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
The senators and Minnesota officials have denied wrongdoing; Powell said the Fed was being targeted because interest rates haven't been lowered to the president's liking.
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Blanche said the cases are not politically motivated.
"The fact that you cherrypicked a handful that some people in the media have said, "Oh, those must be political" is absurd and not fair," Blanche said. "The mere fact that some Democrats or some individuals who have spoken out against President Trump are being investigated is because there -- that's what the Department of Justice does. It doesn't make it political because we're investigating."
He added, "Under no circumstances do we turn to a prosecutor and say, 'You need to go after somebody because they are politically one way or another.' We have never done that and we won't do that."
A judge dismissed the criminal cases against Comey and James in November on the grounds that the appointment of the U.S. attorney who brought them was invalid. The administration has appealed the dismissal.
Charges against journalist Don Lemon
Former CNN journalist Don Lemon and another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, are among nine individuals charged in connection to an incident in which anti-ICE protesters disrupted a service at a Minnesota church in January.
"When do you believe that Mr. Lemon crossed the line from reporting on what was going on to criminal activity?" Stephanopoulos asked.
"That indictment is now public. Everybody in this country can pull it up and read for themselves and see what the grand jury found that that Mr. Lemon did. I am not going to comment on the charges specifically because it's not appropriate," Blanche said.
The charges stem from a Jan. 18 incident at a church in St. Paul.
According to the indictment, Lemon and others are charged with conspiracy against rights of religious freedom and an attempt to injure while exercising religious freedom. Lemon was released Saturday following his arrest and said the First Amendment protects the work he and other journalists do.
"The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work for me and for countless of other journalists who do what I do," Lemon said. "I stand with all of them, and I will not be silenced."
Blanche, however, pointed to videos of the incident and the indictment to say of Lemon, "If anybody in this country thinks that that is, quote, 'independent journalism,' I would like to have a conversation with you."
He added, "Nobody in this country should feel comfortable storming into a church while it's ongoing and disrupting that church service and thinking that we're just going to stand by and let that happen."
Blanche said it would be "inappropriate" to speak about any potential conviction: "He'll have, have his day in court like everybody else."
On Trump's lawsuit against the IRS
On Thursday, the president filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department seeking $10 billion in damages over the unauthorized disclosure of Trump's tax information, including tax returns, to reporters during his first term. The contractor who leaked the documents pleaded guilty in 2023 to stealing and leaking the information. Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his namesake organization are also party to the lawsuit.
"How do you respond to those who say that's a conflict of interest for the president to be seeking funds from those who he's administering?" Stephanopoulos pressed.
"Look, we're looking at how to handle that. I mean, he's not wrong, and I don't think even you think he's wrong, that what happened there is horrible. The fact that his tax returns were leaked. No American should have that," Blanche said. "I very much sympathize with what the president talked about and we're looking into as a department how to -- how to address and make sure that type of thing never happens again to anybody."
Trump sues IRS, Treasury for $10 billion over tax returns leak
ABC News previously reported that Trump is also seeking a roughly $230 million settlement from the Justice Department over past investigations into him.
"Both you as the deputy attorney general and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, have served as President Trump's personal lawyers in the past. Doesn't that pose the at least the appearance of a conflict? Should you be involved in dealing with that in any way?" Stephanopoulos asked.
Blanche said it was a "fair question."
"We obviously talk about conflicts and what I'm allowed to do, what the attorney general is allowed to do because of what we've done in our past. But there are limits to those -- to those conflicts. And I do have a job to the American people and President Trump as a deputy attorney general. And so, I -- you know, we will -- we will navigate that appropriately and consistent with the ethical rules and get to a just result," he said.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
