Why the Epstein Scandal Should Haunt Todd Blanche’s AG Nomination (Part 1) (7/14/26)

The Epstein scandal should be disqualifying for Todd Blanche because it cuts straight to the central question of whether he can be trusted to lead the Department of Justice with independence, transparency, and moral authority. Blanche has been tied to the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files at a time when the department has faced serious criticism over delayed releases, heavy redactions, disputed compliance with court orders, and the continued withholding of records the public has been demanding for years. That matters because the Epstein case is not just another legal controversy; it is a symbol of institutional failure, elite protection, and survivor betrayal. Any attorney general nominee connected to that same culture of secrecy should have to answer for it before being handed more power. Instead of looking like a reformer willing to rip open the files and restore public trust, Blanche looks like another custodian of the locked door. That alone should stop his nomination cold.

The attorney general is supposed to be the person who proves that the law applies upward as well as downward, especially in a case as radioactive and morally loaded as Epstein’s. Blanche’s role in the file-release debacle, combined with reports that the DOJ has continued fighting disclosure in litigation, creates the appearance of a man protecting the institution instead of serving the public. In the Epstein matter, that appearance is devastating because secrecy has always been the scandal’s bloodstream. Survivors do not need another official praising transparency while documents remain buried, and the public does not need another polished lawyer explaining why accountability has to wait. Blanche should not be promoted into the job that controls the very machinery now under suspicion. He should be questioned, investigated, and forced to explain every delay, every withholding decision, and every redaction connected to the Epstein files. Until that happens, putting him in charge of the DOJ would not restore confidence; it would confirm that the culture of concealment is not being punished, but rewarded.


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