POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: AG Todd Blanche didn’t say predators in Epstein files wouldn’t be prosecuted
The Claim In late August and early September 2026, a viral claim circulated online alleging that U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche had stated during a news conference that the Department of Justice...
The Claim
In late August and early September 2026, a viral claim circulated online alleging that U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche had stated during a news conference that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would not prosecute individuals named in the files of Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender and financier, and would also not release their names to the public. The claim gained traction across social media platforms, including Twitter and Reddit, where users shared a video clip supposedly containing Blanche’s statement.
The specific alleged quote was: "We’re not going to prosecute the predators in the Epstein files and we’re not going to release their names to the public." The claim was attributed to Blanche during a press event discussing the DOJ’s investigation into Epstein and his associates. The video accompanying the claim appeared to show Blanche speaking, but upon closer examination, it did not contain the exact words attributed to him. The rumor resurfaced after Blanche was confirmed as attorney general in August 2026, leading to renewed public concern about the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein case.
The Details & Investigation
Snopes, the primary source of this report, investigated the claim and found no credible evidence that U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche ever made the statement attributed to him. The video clip circulating online was taken from a January 30, 2026, news conference in which Blanche addressed the release of documents related to the DOJ’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. At the time, Blanche was serving as Deputy Attorney General, not as the U.S. Attorney General, a position he assumed later in 2026.
During the January 30, 2026, press conference, Blanche responded to a reporter’s question about whether the men in the Epstein files accused of abusing women would be prosecuted and have their names made public. His response was: "If we had information, we meaning the Department of Justice, about men who abused women, we would prosecute them." He further clarified that there was no hidden information being withheld by the DOJ, stating, "I do not think that the public, or you all [reporters], are going to uncover men within the Epstein files that abused women, unfortunately."
Blanche’s remarks were consistent with the DOJ’s official stance on the Epstein case. In the same press conference, he emphasized the department’s commitment to prosecuting sex crimes, citing statistics such as the FBI locating over 2,700 victims of child exploitation in the previous year, the termination of 3.8 million dark web pedophile accounts, and the charging of 11 defendants for sex trafficking of illegal immigrants and underaged women. These statements directly contradicted the false claim that Blanche had stated the DOJ would not prosecute or disclose the names of predators in the Epstein files.
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Further verification of Blanche’s statements was provided by an interview with ABC News published on February 1, 2026, in which he reiterated that the DOJ had nothing to hide and was open to scrutiny of its materials. No credible news outlet reported Blanche making the specific quote attributed to him, and searches of major search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo returned no relevant results supporting the claim. The lack of any verifiable record of Blanche making the quoted statement strongly suggests that the claim is either a misrepresentation of his actual comments or a deliberate fabrication.
Given the absence of direct evidence that Blanche made the statement in question, and the presence of verified transcripts and video footage showing otherwise, the claim appears to be a case of disinformation. The false attribution of the quote to Blanche, combined with the context in which it was shared, suggests a coordinated effort to mislead the public about the DOJ’s stance on the Epstein case. Whether the intent was malicious or simply a misunderstanding of Blanche’s original remarks remains unclear, but the claim clearly constitutes deliberate deception.
The Verdict
The viral claim that U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the DOJ would not prosecute predators in the Epstein files or release their names to the public is FALSE. There is no credible evidence that Blanche made the specific statement attributed to him. Verified transcripts and video footage from the January 30, 2026, press conference show that Blanche explicitly stated the DOJ would prosecute individuals if evidence came to light, contradicting the false claim.
Furthermore, Blanche’s broader comments during the press conference and subsequent interviews with ABC News reinforced the DOJ’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting sex crimes, including those involving Epstein. The absence of any reliable media reports or official records supporting the claim, along with the clear misattribution of the quote, indicates that the statement was either fabricated or taken out of context. As such, the claim is best categorized as DISINFORMATION—deliberate deception aimed at misleading the public about the DOJ’s actions regarding the Epstein case.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
