AG Todd Blanche didn't say predators in Epstein files wouldn't be prosecuted

Instead, the attorney general said the DOJ would prosecute people if certain information or evidence comes to light. Published Sept. 13, 2026 Claim: U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "We're not going to prosecute the predators in the Epstein files and we're not going to release their names to the public." In late August and early September 2026, rumors circulated that U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche once stated during a news conference that there were no plans for prosecutions or a public release of predators named in the files of Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender and financier. Users across social media platforms and Reddit posted about the alleged quote, claiming the AG made the statement during a news conference discussing the DOJ's investigation of Epstein and his associates. According to the rumor, Blanche purportedly said, "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 rumor circulated online previously but gained renewed popularity after Blanche was confirmed as attorney general in August. ⛔️The Pedo Protector‼️⛔️ "We will not prosecute the abusers named in the Epstein files or reveal their names to the public."— Todd Blanche, US Attorney General‼️ pic.twitter.com/gDZZdu2YxQ — Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,Ph.D.,DPT. (@drhossamsamy65) September 7, 2026 The quote is incorrectly attributed to Blanche. It wasn't spoken in the video clip circulating with the alleged statement, and there is no evidence he ever publicly said the words in question. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo returned no relevant results from credible media outlets about such a quote, which would have been widely reported. The clip accompanying the quote is from a Jan. 30, 2026, news conference in which Blanche announced the final release of files related to the DOJ's investigation into Epstein. Snopes reached out to Blanche for further comment on this claim and will update this article if we hear back. It's unclear whether the falsely attributed quote was intentionally misleading or a botched attempt to summarize Blanche's comments. A full viewing of the news conference and reading of its transcript showed no statement matching that shared in the claim. At the 21:07 mark of the video, viewable on C-SPAN, 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. Blanche responded: If we had information, we meaning the Department of Justice, about men who abused women, we would prosecute them. […] There is this built-in assumption that somehow there is a hidden tranche of information of men that we know about that we're covering up or that we're choosing not to prosecute. That is not the case. I do not know whether there are men out there who abused these women. If we learn about information and evidence that allows us to prosecute them, you better believe we will. But I do not think that the public, or you all [reporters], are going to uncover men within the Epstein files that abused women, unfortunately. Whether what he said is true or false is open to speculation. Still, it's evident that Blanche did not directly state, "We're not going to prosecute the predators in the Epstein files and we're not going to release their names to the public." Users sharing the alleged quote appeared to be attempting to twist Blanche's intended meaning into a declarative statement that he never actually made. Further, Blanche began the Jan. 30 news conference with a statement about the variety of sex criminals he said the DOJ had prosecuted in the last year. Every single day of the year, the Department of Justice investigates and prosecutes those who abuse and traffic young women and children. Just last year, the FBI located over 2,700 victims of child exploitation. The Department of Justice found and terminated 3.8 million dark web pedophile accounts. In August, we charged 11 defendants for extensive sex trafficking of illegal immigrants and underaged women. Last month we charged five men who were engaged in a sadistic sex extortion network of young men abusing women. Over the past several months last summer and into the fall, we executed Operation Restore Justice, rescuing 205 child victims and arresting 293 offenders. Blanche added that he wanted to point these numbers out specifically because of accusations that the DOJ "does not take child exploitation or sex trafficking seriously." Blanche echoed similar sentiments in an interview with ABC News published on Feb. 1, 2026, in which he said, "We have nothing to hide. We never did, and our doors are open if they want to come and review any of the materials that we produced." Sources C-SPAN. "Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche News Conference on Releasing Epstein Files." C-SPAN.org, C-SPAN, 30 Jan. 2026, www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/deputy-attorney-general-todd-blanche-news-conference-on-releasing-epstein-files/672584. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.Lybrand, Holmes, et al. "Todd Blanche Takes over the Justice Department, Where There's No Escaping the Epstein Files Shadow." CNN, 3 Apr. 2026, www.cnn.com/2026/04/03/politics/todd-blanche-profile-interim-attorney-general.Scanlan, Quinn. "Deputy AG Blanche Defends Epstein Files Release as Survivors Slam Administration over Redaction Failures." ABC News, Feb. 2026, abcnews.com/Politics/deputy-ag-defends-epstein-files-release-survivors-slam/story?id=129749781. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.Staff, NBC. "DOJ Releases Millions of Pages, Videos, Images from Its Jeffrey Epstein Files." NBC10 Philadelphia, NBC 10 Philadelphia, 30 Jan. 2026, www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/epstein-files-justice-department-news-conference-todd-blanche/4342400/?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_PHBrand. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026. By Joey Esposito Joey Esposito has written for a variety of entertainment publications. He's into music, video games ... and birds. Article Tags