The U.S.Department of Justice is opposing a government watchdog's attempt to force the release of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's private communications regarding Jeffrey Epstein, which were reviewed during his Senate confirmation process.

American Oversight, a watchdog group, filed a lawsuit on June 23 after the DOJ denied its request to expedite the release of Blanche's emails and texts related to the Epstein files.The group seeks the records by July 14, one day before Blanche's confirmation hearing.The DOJ argued that the request is flawed, accusing American Oversight of attempting to bypass standard Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) procedures.

Former Attorney General Pamela Bondi testified that Blanche had a direct supervisory role in reviewing Epstein's files, which contain thousands of mentions of former President Donald Trump.

A New York Times report cited in the lawsuit described a 2025 White House meeting where Blanche discussed strategies to manage public backlash over the files.Blanche also interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex trafficker, after a July 2025 meeting.Sen.

Ron Wyden accused Blanche of obstructing the Drug Enforcement Administration's release of unredacted documents about Epstein's alleged drug trafficking.

A separate lawsuit by journalist Katie Phang led to a court order requiring Blanche to unredact Epstein emails, including one where Epstein referenced a torture video.Blanche defied the deadline, appealed the ruling, and criticized the judge's decision as misleading.His confirmation hearing is scheduled for July 15-16 before the Senate Judiciary Committee.