Journalist and attorney Katie Phang’s lawsuit over the Epstein files just got another important development.Today, she spoke with podcaster Aaron Parnas about a message the federal judge overseeing her case sent to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.The message is one the Trump Justice Department probably doesn’t want to hear: “Show your work.”
Phang explained to Parnas why she thinks the court order from Saturday is more important than it seems at first.
“So far, my lawsuit against Todd Blanche has been successful at every step,” Phang said.
“This particular order says a lot about what the judge thinks about the strength of my case, and also about how the Trump DOJ no longer has much credibility,” she added.
The order requires Blanche to appear in court by Thursday and bring specific, unredacted Epstein files, emails, and other documents.
But Phang said the real importance is not just the deadline.
According to her, Judge Emmet Sullivan is making Blanche do something the Justice Department likely wanted to avoid.
“He has to show his work,” Phang said.That means Blanche can’t just tell the court that the redactions were okay.He has to bring proof for each decision to keep information hidden from the public.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Phang said the main reason for redacting information is to protect victims.
She pointed out that both Blanche and Attorney General Pam Bondi have already said the files don’t include classified or national security information, which means the court will focus on whether victim protection is the real reason.
“Judge Sullivan is telling Blanche he has to prove his claims,” Phang said, “which is a bad sign for someone who wants to be the next Attorney General.”
That’s probably the most important takeaway from Saturday’s order.
Rather than just taking the Justice Department’s word, the court is making them produce the unredacted records and back up their redactions with evidence.
In other words, the court isn’t just going along with the DOJ’s story.
For critics who have questioned how the Trump administration has handled the Epstein files, this is a significant change.
Now, if the Justice Department wants to keep information secret, they have to explain exactly why.
By Thursday afternoon, Todd Blanche won’t just be showing up in court—he’ll have to bring proof.
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