DOJ defends withholding Epstein files after Sullivan order

DOJ defends – The Justice Department asked a federal judge not to force further release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative materials, arguing that more disclosure would harm victims. In a new filing, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended limited releases of millions o

By the time Jeffrey Epstein’s name reappears in a courtroom filing, the argument has already run through the same fault line: what the public deserves to know, and what the government says it must protect.

In a new court filing dated July 2, the Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan not to order additional disclosure of investigative materials. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said releasing more documents would harm Epstein’s victims. and urged the judge to allow the government to share additional information “in camera” — behind closed doors with the court — rather than turning over more files.

Blanche’s filing comes after Sullivan ordered federal officials to either produce Jeffrey Epstein files with new investigative details or explain why they would not. The order required the Justice Department to consider releasing more materials. including unredacted names of potential co-conspirators and FBI interview notes.

The Justice Department’s position is that its earlier releases already went as far as they could. Federal authorities released 3.5 million pages of documents tied to Epstein, while the department withheld another 2.5 million pages. Much of what was released was heavily redacted.

The limited release drew immediate backlash, and it set off lawsuits from people who argued the government was protecting rich and powerful figures mentioned in the files.

In his new filing, Blanche argued the court should not force further action. “The Court should not order the Department to take further action,” he wrote. He added that the government can share additional details regarding specific records “in camera or with appropriate protections in place.”

Katie Phang, a lawyer and independent journalist who previously hosted a show on MSNBC, brought the case challenging the department’s limited release. The lawsuit was filed in Washington, D.C., on April 27, and Sullivan is presiding.

Phang’s complaint targets how the Justice Department implemented the November federal statute known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law ordered the DOJ to release unclassified DOJ files related to Jeffrey Epstein, with a handful of permitted exceptions. Advocates for transparency and accountability viewed the earlier output as underwhelming, and in some cases as defiance of the statute.

Blanche has defended the DOJ’s actions under the transparency law before. In earlier arguments, he said many documents were withheld to protect victim privacy, which is permitted under the act. He also argued that the DOJ withheld some documents for reasons that were not explicitly allowed — including to shield internal department deliberations tied to Epstein.

The dispute sits on top of a long-running record that has left many accusers and advocates deeply frustrated. Epstein. an accused sex trafficker who socialized with many of the world’s most rich and famous men — including Trump and former President Bill Clinton — pleaded guilty in 2008 to two Florida state prostitution crimes. One involved a minor. The plea deal allowed him to escape state or federal charges that could have been far more severe.

Epstein served about 13 months in a Florida jail and was often permitted to leave on work release.

It was not until 2019 that Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges. He died in a Manhattan jail later that year, while awaiting his trial. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.

Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later charged and convicted of sex trafficking a minor to Epstein. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

In July 2025. the DOJ and FBI released a memo saying Epstein “harmed over one thousand victims.” The memo also said that after reviewing their files. they “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” As a result. no Epstein associate beyond Maxwell has faced criminal charges in the United States tied to the sex-trafficking allegations.

That record is part of why the transparency fight has become so combustible: when prosecutors say the case cannot move forward, the question of what was known — and what was redacted — becomes harder to put down.

In the latest filing, Sullivan’s order is the pivot point. The judge’s June 25 decision ordered Blanche to release more information or explain himself. Sullivan concluded that Blanche had likely violated the transparency law.

Sullivan said Blanche, in responding to Phang’s lawsuit through DOJ lawyers, made procedural arguments for why Phang’s suit should be dismissed, but did not “respond substantively to any of (her) arguments” alleging he violated the transparency law.

Phang’s allegations include claims that Blanche violated the law in multiple ways. She accused him of redacting the names of senders and recipients in email exchanges with Epstein about a “torture video” and sexual activity with young women, including minors.

Phang also accused Blanche of breaking the law by redacting the names of potential Epstein co-defendants from a draft criminal indictment. She further alleged Blanche improperly withheld certain notes from FBI interviews that mentioned Trump.

Blanche’s July 2 filing is now asking the court to accept a different approach: more closed-door review rather than more public disclosure, and continued reliance on victim-protection rationales.

The tug-of-war over Epstein’s files is not just about paperwork. It is about how victims. the public. and lawmakers interpret what the government owes when millions of pages are released — and millions more remain withheld. The next step will determine whether Sullivan requires additional public disclosure or accepts that the government’s protections can be handled through the courtroom’s sealed process.

DOJ Epstein Files Transparency Act Todd Blanche Emmet Sullivan Jeffrey Epstein FBI interview notes Ghislaine Maxwell Katie Phang in camera redactions victims privacy