Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche reportedly acknowledged Friday that the Trump administration will miss a congressionally mandated deadline to fully release the long-awaited Epstein files, telling Fox & Friends host Lawrence Jones that while a massive tranche of documents would be released immediately, additional materials would be rolled out over the coming weeks.
President Donald Trump signed legislation last month ordering the release of files connected to deceased child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, setting a firm deadline of Friday, December 19. The law followed sustained pressure from lawmakers, including Republicans, who demanded long-overdue transparency in a case that has raised serious questions about elite accountability and the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s crimes.
Appearing on Fox & Friends, Blanche said the Justice Department would release “several hundred thousand documents” by the deadline, but not the entirety of the files. He said the phased release was necessary to ensure that victims’ identities and personal details are fully protected.
Blanche emphasized that President Trump has consistently called for maximum transparency on Epstein and criticized what he described as inaction during the Biden administration. He told Jones that Trump signed the law 30 days ago and that the Justice Department has been working nonstop since then to collect, review, and prepare documents for public release.
According to Blanche, the materials being released include photographs and investigative records tied to Epstein. He said each document is being carefully reviewed to ensure that victims’ names, identities, and personal stories are shielded where appropriate. He also noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have both stressed that victim protection is the top priority.
Blanche added that a judge in New York has ordered the U.S. Attorney’s Office there to review the materials as well, reinforcing safeguards to prevent sensitive information from being disclosed. He said more documents would be released over the next couple of weeks, potentially totaling several hundred thousand additional pages.
The comments came as some critics questioned why the files could not be released in full by the statutory deadline. Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie Brown, whose reporting helped expose Epstein’s trafficking operation and led to the arrests of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, has disputed claims that Democrats could have released the files earlier. Brown has pointed out that Maxwell’s criminal case remained active and under appeal for much of the Biden administration, and that other investigations may have still been ongoing.
As the Fox & Friends interview concluded, Jones asked Blanche whether the release of the files could lead to new criminal charges. Blanche said that while the investigation is ongoing at the president’s direction, there are currently no new charges expected.
Blanche’s remarks quickly drew scrutiny from legal observers who argued that the law Trump signed requires all unclassified Epstein-related materials to be released by the deadline, not in stages. Critics cited the explicit language of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the Justice Department make all unclassified records publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format.
Despite the criticism, Trump administration officials maintain that their approach balances transparency with the responsibility to protect victims, while delivering what they say is the largest release of Epstein-related documents to date.
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