Todd Blanche potentially facing $1000-a-day fine over handling of Epstein files

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche could face a $1000-a-day fine for refusing to release the Epstein files in their entirety, as was required of him according to a court order. The lawsuit, filed by independent journalist Katie Phang's legal team in Washington on Monday, comes only a couple of days before Blanche is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing as attorney general, according to a report by Raw Story.

Phang's legal motion urges U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to hold Blanche in contempt for defying the court's order. In June, Sullivan had ruled that Blanche had conceded to violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act after the Acting Attorney General was directed to unredact emails, release FBI interview notes, and offer explanations for every redaction in the files that have been released so far. Blanche, however, refused to comply with any of that.

At the time, a Justice Department spokesperson responded sharply to the judge's opinion. "The Acting Attorney General has not conceded anything. Judge Sullivan's perverse interpretation appears to be focused on driving misleading headlines. This judge is suggesting DOJ violate the law by unredacting victim names, who, as the Department has always explained, sadly became co-conspirators. DOJ has produced all responsive documents and will appeal this decision with confidence," they said, as per CBS.

"The Attorney General refuses to review foreign-language documents," the filing states. "He refuses to produce an explanation for his redactions. And he refuses to produce documents he concedes contain no victim information." Phang's filing also states that when Blanche was asked to review foreign-language documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, which had previously not been reviewed, he refused. Blanche said that he had already told Congress that it was "impracticable," and that he was not met with much resistance.

Phang's filing claims that Blanche refused to release the files, which did not contain any information about the victims, including e-mails about a torture video. The filing also challenges the Acting Attorney General's claim that the Justice Department had already satisfied the need to explain every redaction, asserting that he had only provided a vague summary to Congress rather than what was required from the department. Moreover, it accused Blanche of "brazenness" that "fits a pattern of dishonesty, delay, and obfuscation."

If things could not get worse for the Acting Attorney General ahead of his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing as attorney general, several Epstein victims have come out and urged the Senate to reject Blanche's appointment as the head of the Justice Department. The victims claimed that Blanche failed in his responsibility to protect the victims, as information about several victims was made public when the first batch of the Epstein files was released. Several people criticised the Justice Department's handling of the files.

The video was shared by World Without Exploitation, an organization working to combat human trafficking, as per The Hill. "Under Blanche's leadership at the Department of Justice, Epstein survivors' personal information—including their names, phone numbers, and home addresses—was exposed, while the names of many alleged abusers and other powerful individuals connected to Epstein remained redacted. The disclosure revictimized the very people the justice system was supposed to protect and put their safety at risk," part of the post read.