The Man Who Buried the Epstein Files Just Admitted He’s Building a Legal Fortress Around Trump — and Bondi Finally Revealed Who’s Pulling the Strings
The Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files has generated accusations of a cover-up almost from the moment officials began promising bombshell disclosures that never materialized.
Now the official who oversaw that controversial process is facing a new round of questions after openly discussing efforts to place “roadblocks” in the path of future prosecutions involving President Donald Trump and his allies.
That official is Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whom former Attorney General Pam Bondi recently identified as responsible for managing the botched release of the files. His latest comments about preventing what he calls political “weaponization,” combined with his central role in one of the administration’s most criticized transparency efforts, are placing him under an even brighter spotlight as he pursues Senate confirmation to permanently lead the Justice Department.
The growing scrutiny stems from a remarkable combination of developments.
On one hand, Blanche is openly talking about making it harder for future Democratic administrations to pursue cases against Trump and those around him. On the other hand, Bondi recently testified that Blanche — not her — was responsible for overseeing the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files, a process that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and victims’ advocates.
‘Disgraceful’: JD Vance Exploited a Grieving Family’s Tragedy — and Exposed Himself as a Bigot
Together, the revelations have intensified questions about Blanche’s continued role behind the scenes.
Blanche made the remarks during an interview with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich, which aired last Friday. Pavlich asked whether he believed Democrats could attempt to prosecute Trump, administration officials, ICE agents, or others associated with the administration if they regained power.
“Well, do I believe it’s a possibility that the Democrats will go after President Trump, his family, anybody that knows him, anybody that worked for him? I think they’ve proven that to be true. And what could we do about it is we can just keep on exposing when we learn about the weaponization that happened for many years, we can keep on exposing it, and putting roadblocks in place so it never happens again,” Blanche said.
He continued: “I worry about Democrats coming out and actually already forecasting what they’re going to try to do if they get leadership again, and that’s something the American people see too. The American people saw them do it for four years and rejected it whole-handedly.”
The comments immediately fueled criticism from opponents who argued that an attorney general should focus on impartial enforcement of the law rather than shielding political allies from future investigations.
One social media user responded: “He is admitting he is acting as Trump’s fixer, not as the AG of our country.”
Another wrote: “Todd Blanche is still doing his job as Trump’s personal defense attorney.”
A third reaction focused on the broader implications of Blanche’s remarks: “The AG is supposed to enforce the law equally. Blanche is installing roadblocks to protect Trump from future prosecution. The founders wrote ‘equal justice under law.’ That’s not a Justice Department. That’s a shield.”
A fourth commenter unleashed a profanity-laced tirade, angrily posting: “Why do you have to put roadblocks if he did nothing wrong?”
The controversy comes as newly released congressional testimony from Bondi sheds additional light on Blanche’s responsibilities inside the Justice Department.
According to a transcript of Bondi’s closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee, she repeatedly identified Blanche as the official responsible for managing the Epstein files release effort.
“He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files,” Bondi said when lawmakers asked about compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, according to CNN.
Lawmakers pressed Bondi about why millions of documents connected to the Epstein investigation had not yet been released. Bondi maintained that the department was not withholding records and argued that the remaining materials consisted of duplicates or privileged documents.
“To my knowledge, they’ve all been released,” Bondi said.
She also repeatedly deferred questions to Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel when lawmakers sought details about document production, redactions, and investigative records.
The testimony appears to confirm that Blanche became the point person on the politically sensitive matter after Bondi faced criticism over earlier public statements regarding a supposed Epstein client list.
In February 2025, Bondi famously said that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Months later, the Justice Department acknowledged that no such list existed, creating a credibility problem that continued to haunt the administration.
During her testimony, Bondi attempted to clarify those remarks.
“If you listen to the entire interview, I was referring to the file … and I said, ‘It’s sitting on my desk to review, along with JFK files, MLK files,’” Bondi said. “I meant the files, to review. I had not reviewed them at that time. And I made that clear.”
Bondi also distanced herself from other controversial decisions involving the Epstein case.
Asked about the transfer of convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas, Bondi said she had no involvement.
“I read about it in the newspaper, or online, after it happened. I had nothing to do with that,” Bondi said.
When lawmakers asked whether Blanche’s interview of Maxwell was connected to the transfer, Bondi replied: “I have no knowledge of that.”
She nevertheless made clear what she thought of Maxwell herself, describing her as “a monster, just like Jeffrey Epstein,” and saying she should “die in prison.”
Other questions revealed gaps in Bondi’s knowledge about some records tied to the case.
“I don’t recall ever reviewing this document, so I don’t know who’s in it, and that came from the FBI New York,” Bondi said when asked about a document listing Epstein co-conspirators.
Bondi also declined to discuss her exchanges with Trump.
“I’m not going to discuss any conversations that I’ve had with the president on any matter,” Bondi said.