Elie Honig Torches Todd Blanche’s Epstein Role: ‘Turns Out, That Was Bullsh*t’

Left: MS NOW, Right: CNN

On Wednesday, via New York magazine’s Intelligencer, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig offered some blistering criticism of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and his repeated claims that politics played no role in his decision-making, emphasizing, “Turns out, that was bullsh*t.”

Honig pointed to fresh reporting from New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman’s and Jonathan Swan’s new book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, which details behind-the-scenes discussions between Justice Department officials and White House aides as President Donald Trump’s administration grappled with fallout surrounding the Epstein files.

Honig noted that during Blanche’s confirmation hearing to become deputy attorney general, he said, “Politics would play no role in my decisions as deputy attorney general.” He similarly rejected suggestions that political considerations shaped decisions regarding the Epstein files, declaring in late 2025, “Absolutely, positively not.”

“Turns out, that was bullsh*t,” Honig wrote.

According to the reporting cited by Honig, Blanche and other senior Justice Department officials worked closely with White House personnel as public scrutiny intensified over the department’s handling of Epstein-related records. Honig argued the revelations show officials were focused on “minimiz[ing] political damage to the president and his administration” rather than pursuing a purely prosecutorial approach.

Among the episodes highlighted was a strategy to seek the release of grand jury materials connected to Epstein and convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Honig wrote that Blanche viewed the move as a low-risk PR play because courts were unlikely to approve the requests and, even if they did, the records would not be expected to reveal significant new information.

Honig even argued that this controversy could complicate Blanche’s path to Senate confirmation as attorney general, particularly after 19 Epstein victims publicly opposed his nomination. He concluded that the acting attorney general now “owns the Epstein matter — all of it, with nowhere to run.”

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