Deputy AG Todd Blanche Admits Trump Admin Will Miss Deadline to Release Epstein Files

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche admitted that the Trump administration would miss Friday’s deadline to release the Epstein files, telling Fox & Friends host Lawrence Jones that some of the documents would be released on time and others over the “next couple weeks.”

After mounting pressure — including from his fellow Republicans — President Donald Trump signed a law last month to release the files related to deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, with a deadline of Friday, December 19.

During Blanche’s appearance on Friday’s episode of Fox & Friends, Jones noted the deadline and asked the Justice Department’s second-in-command what “new information about Epstein and people that may have been associated with him” might be learned from the files.

Blanche’s immediate reply was to say that not all the files would be released today, claiming this was necessary to protect victims. A transcript of his response:

So today is the 30 days, and I expect that we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today. And those documents will come in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into Mr. Epstein.

And just so everybody appreciates, President Trump has said for years that he wants full transparency and he wants the Department of Justice to release everything that we can with respect to this investigation in cases. And we saw during the Biden administration radio silence from the very Democrats screaming from Congressional steps today that we haven’t done enough.

But, guess what? President Trump signed that law 30 days ago. And we have been working tirelessly since that day to make sure that we get every single document that we have within the Department of Justice, review it and get it to the American public.

Now, the most important thing that the Attorney General [Pam Bondi] has talked about, that [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel has talked about, is that we protect victims. So what we’re doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story — to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected.

So I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks. So today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.

There is a lot of eyes looking at these. We want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim. A judge in New York has required the U.S. Attorney in New York to also look at the materials to make sure that the victims’ information is protected.

Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie Brown has repeatedly scorched efforts by Republicans to claim that the Democrats could have already released the Epstein files, as Blanche did during this Fox News appearance, by pointing out key facts about the timeline.

Brown’s work is widely credited with leading to the arrests of Epstein and his girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for their sordid child sex trafficking scheme, as well as exposing details about the controversially lenient plea deal Epstein had for his earlier criminal case.

As Brown has pointed out, Maxwell’s criminal case was still open and pending during the Biden administration — she was convicted in late 2021 and then appealed — not to mention the possibility that the FBI was investigating other possible suspects.

As Jones wrapped the interview with Blanche, he asked if more charges should be expected as the files are released.

“Look, as the president directed, it’s still being investigated,” Blanche replied. “And I expect that will continue to happen. So, we — as of today, there is no new charges coming.”

Blanche’s comments drew swift scrutiny and criticism from legal observers who pointed out the clear language of the law the president signed required “all” the files to be released by Friday’s deadline — not a partial set or a rollout over weeks, as Blanche was discussing.

“Smells like more of a coverup,” wrote Just Security co-edit0r-in-chief Ryan Goodman.

Goodman shared a screenshot from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, noting that the language required the DOJ to “make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices” for the listed files related to Epstein, Maxwell, and the investigations into their crimes and activities.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

This article has been updated with additional content.