On April 14, 2026, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on Fox News for the second time in 11 days to insist the DOJ would not release a single additional Epstein file — this time confronted by the fact that the First Lady herself had contradicted his position five days earlier.
Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked directly: “You have the authority to go ahead and release more, do you not?” Blanche: “No, we have released everything. We reviewed six million pieces of paper. What we released was anything that's associated with the Epstein file. So we are not sitting on a single piece of paper.”
This is false. The DOJ's own records show approximately 3.5 million of 6 million pages have been released — roughly 58%. Blanche's new legal maneuver: redefining the unreleased 2.5 million pages as “not responsive to the law” and therefore “not Epstein files” at all. If it wasn't released, it isn't an Epstein file — by definition.
The interview came five days after Melania Trump held a surprise presser on April 9 calling for men who conspired with Epstein to face consequences and demanding Congressional hearings for survivors. Blanche's response to Melania: “I get her frustration... there have been tons of false narratives around her and her relationship — or lack thereof — with Epstein.” He acknowledged the First Lady's frustration while insisting nothing more would be released.
Fifteen alleged Epstein victims signed a letter saying Melania was “shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power” and that the DOJ “has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
Rep. Robert Garcia drew a critical legal distinction: “Todd Blanche needs a reminder that there's a legally binding subpoena for documents that is different than the law. This investigation is not a hoax. The DOJ needs to release the rest of files.” Rep. Massie (R) has warned Blanche has 30 days before criminal liability under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Rep. Lieu (D) said Blanche is “violating the law.”
See also: blanche-lies-all-epstein-files-released (April 3 — Blanche's first false claim), bondi-no-show-epstein-deposition-contempt (April 14 — Bondi's no-show), epstein-files-doj-redaction, doj-withheld-epstein-trump-accuser-files