'It's Not a Crime to Party With Mr. Epstein,' DOJ Official Says Amid Trump Backlash

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that social or professional associations with Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender, do not in themselves constitute a crime, as the Trump administration faces renewed scrutiny over the president's past ties to Epstein following the release of millions of pages of Justice Department records.

In an interview Monday night on Fox News, Blanche responded to questions from host Laura Ingraham about whether individuals who associated with Epstein could face prosecution. "I'll never say no," Blanche said. "And we will always investigate evidence of misconduct." He added, however, that "it is not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein" or to exchange emails with him, emphasizing that prosecutions require evidence that meets legal thresholds.

When Ingraham suggested that photographs involving Epstein appeared troubling, Blanche replied, "Unfortunately photos can't speak, and so we need witnesses," underscoring the department's position that disturbing material alone is insufficient to bring charges.

Fox News: Is There Any Chance You’ll Arrest Pedophiles?Todd Blanche: It’s Not A Crime To Party With Jeffrey Epstein. pic.twitter.com/yQrHbg7AG5

— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) February 3, 2026

The remarks come days after the Justice Department released roughly three million pages of previously undisclosed Epstein-related documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A review by The New York Times found that President Donald Trump was mentioned more than 38,000 times in the document dump and flagged in over 5,300 files. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime related to Epstein.

Blanche said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that the Justice Department reviewed the Epstein files last summer and "did not find credible evidence" that would warrant further investigation or prosecution. "The entire world can look at and see if we got it wrong," he said.

The document release has drawn criticism from victims' advocates and some lawmakers, who argue that the disclosure was incomplete and delayed. The Justice Department missed a December 19 deadline mandated by law and acknowledged that while more than six million pages were initially identified as potentially responsive, only about half were released.

Blanche said the department "erred on the side of over-collection" and that many withheld pages were duplicates or non-responsive.

In response to criticism, a Justice Department official said the agency had produced more than 3.5 million pages "in compliance with the law" and disclosed to Congress and the public which materials were deemed non-responsive, adding that calls for further disclosure reflect "a tired narrative."

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