Blanche Faces Scrutiny Over Epstein Files as Court Declines to Halt Review
Photo: The New RepublicCBS News reported that at least three documents in the public Epstein files indicate Attorney General Todd Blanche received classified material that the Justice Department has not released. In January, Blanche said nothing was being withheld or redacted on national defense grounds. The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires release of all files tied to the Jeffrey Epstein prosecution except those involving national security. It is unclear what the classified material contains, but the missing documents reportedly include Epstein's finances. Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, told CBS that financial records were not a permissible category for removal. Separately, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals declined to halt a court-ordered review of the Epstein files. House Judiciary Committee Democrats also released a 50-page report on Monday with accounts from 11 women who accuse President Donald Trump of rape or sexual assault, or say Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell offered them to him, mostly in the 1990s. The Democrats say the Justice Department covered this up.
RealClearPolitics, the right-leaning outlet, took a different path. Its item covers Blanche on "The Will Cain Show," where he responded to reports that Democratic Alaska Senate nominee Mary Peltola's campaign sought a spoiler candidate. He said he wants a full judicial process, if necessary, to find what went wrong before certification. The excerpt does not mention Epstein. On the left, The New Republic leads with the CBS findings and sets Blanche's January denial against them, quoting McQuade. Raw Story presents the appeals panel's refusal to halt the review as a setback for Blanche's department. The alternative outlet Consortium News offers its own angle: the House Democrats' report and its allegations against Trump, including a new rape allegation. Left and alternative sources both feature Blanche and Epstein-related disputes. The right-leaning coverage here centers on the Alaska election.
How the sides differ Right sources cover Blanche's comments on an Alaska Senate race; left sources stress withheld Epstein documents and court setbacks; alternative sources focus on a House Democratic report on Trump.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
The New Republic leads with CBS reporting that Blanche received classified material that was not released, quoting Blanche and Barbara McQuade. Raw Story highlights an appeals court declining to halt the Epstein files review.
Consortium News centers on a House Judiciary Democrats' report with 11 women's accounts involving Trump, Epstein and Maxwell, including a new rape allegation, and the claim that the Justice Department covered it up.
RealClearPolitics covers Blanche's interview on The Will Cain Show about reports of a spoiler-candidate effort by Mary Peltola's campaign in Alaska, with Blanche favoring a full judicial process if necessary.