DOJ Review of Jeffrey Epstein Sex-Trafficking Case Is Over, Says Todd Blanche
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has confirmed that the Department of Justice has concluded its review of the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case, signaling an end to further internal examination by federal prosecutors.
Speaking publicly, Blanche acknowledged the pain and expectations of Epstein’s victims, stating that they “want to be made whole.” However, he emphasized that this desire does not permit the Justice Department to act outside the bounds of the law. “That doesn’t mean we can just create evidence,” Blanche said, underscoring the legal limitations faced by investigators.
The announcement comes as public scrutiny of the Epstein case remains intense, years after the disgraced financier died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Calls for accountability both for Epstein’s associates and for failures within the justice system have continued since his death.
Blanche’s remarks suggest that, despite ongoing public interest, the Justice Department does not plan to reopen or extend its review of the Epstein investigation at this time.
A former friend of Donald Trump, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to state charges of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor. Officials say Epstein then killed himself in federal custody in New York in 2019, during Trump’s first presidency, while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
“You have some of the most wealthy individuals, tech leaders, finance leaders, politicians, all implicated in some way, having emailed them, wanting to go to Epstein’s island knowing that Epstein was a pedophile,” Khanna said.
Khanna added: “It’s frankly one of the largest scandals in my view in our country’s history. And there is a demand for elite accountability. But the survivors’ lawyers that I’ve talked to have said that the survivors are still upset. They’re upset that many of their names accidentally came out without redaction. And they want to make sure the rest of the files come out.”
Separately, Maryland House Democrat Jamie Raskin said: “Case closed has been [the Trump administration’s] mantra” since weeks beforehand. He also said the 3m documents released Friday were “close to nothing when they’re deciding which documents are coming out”.
That line was echoed by top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s This Week.
“It’s not over and it will not be over until there is full and complete transparency as demanded by the survivors, so that there can be full and complete accountability,” Jeffries said.
He also said “there are more … documents that are being withheld” by what he derisively referred to as “the department of injustice”.
“So the question that has to be asked that the American people are asking – is what are they hiding from the American people and who are they protecting?” Jeffries remarked.
The justice department has previously said that many of the total number of Epstein pages in their files are duplicates across separate investigations in Florida and New York.