President Donald Trump’s acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has been sued over his alleged failure to release all government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of journalist Katie Phang, accuses Blanche of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that Blanche, who was deputy attorney general at the time and formerly Trump’s personal lawyer, failed to comply with the law. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November 2025, required the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related files within 30 days.
The DOJ belatedly released millions of documents, but critics say not all files were disclosed. Blanche claimed in a Fox News interview that the DOJ released “all the files with respect to the Epstein saga.” However, the lawsuit alleges that the DOJ “has failed to produce the required documents within the time required,” improperly redacted documents, and failed to adequately explain those redactions.
The lawsuit seeks the production of all Epstein files with impermissible redactions removed and permissible redactions explained. It also requests a court-appointed special master to oversee compliance. Separately, the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General announced an audit of the agency’s compliance with the act.
Phang, a journalist and legal analyst, said the failure to comply with the law has harmed her ability to report on Epstein and his network. “When there is active concealment going on by way of violation of a federal statute, I cannot do my job as a journalist,” she said.
