Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is begging a federal judge to let him off the hook.
This fine is Blanche’s latest problem in a series of disputes over a lawsuit filed by journalist Katie Phang.She accuses the Department of Justice of not following the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed in November.Phang filed the lawsuit in April, saying the DOJ is violating the law in a “brazen, shocking, and ongoing” way.
The Justice Department keeps saying the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and the release of files has been “unprecedentedly transparent,” but millions of files are still missing or censored.
In June, U.S.
District Judge Emmet G.Sullivan ordered Blanche to provide previously redacted materials from the Epstein files.These include FBI notes from a woman who says Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1980s when she was 13, and emails with Epstein about a “torture video” and possible co-conspirators.
Sullivan gave Blanche until July 2 to provide the documents.
When the acting attorney general didn’t comply, Phang said he would fine Blanche $1,000 a day until he did.
Blanche responded angrily in a dramatic letter, calling Phang’s argument “outlandish,” “absurd,” and “hyperbolic rhetoric” meant to punish the DOJ.
He said her lawsuit is “sensational and unsubstantiated,” even though her case is based on real facts.
Phang’s lawsuit adds to Blanche’s problems.
His path to becoming attorney general has been tough.He faced tense Senate hearings, met with Epstein survivors, and had many former colleagues against his nomination.A $1,000 fine a day might push him to the edge.
Too bad.
Let’s see the money.
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