2 hours ago

Capitol Hill Tears Into Todd Blanche For Withholding 3 Million More Epstein Files

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was chastised on Tuesday over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein Files.

During testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) accused the DOJ of withholding more than 3 million documents related to the criminal investigation into the late *** trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Politics: Jill Biden Gives Update On Joe Biden's Cancer Prognosis

The tense back-and-forth between Dean and Blanche began with the congresswoman asking if the acting attorney general would comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support last year and signed into law by President Donald Trump.

“As I said to you when we spoke before, we have complied with the law,” Blanche responded before Dean cut him off.

“There are 3 million more documents,” Dean said. “And you know what you said to me? They’re all duplicative, and they include another guy named Epstein.”

Blanche denied saying that, but Dean refused to allow him to finish answering the question and demanded her time back.

Politics: California’s Messy Governor’s Race Could Spell Doom For This Voting System

“I just gave you the answer you gave me. No, actually, it’s my time, Mr. Chairman,” Dean said. “I think those are the rules of this committee. I told him the answer he gave me, and now in public, he’s trying to say something else.”

Dean then pressed Blanche on why many of the unredacted files were available only to members of Congress at the DOJ.

“What does it say in terms of transparency?” Dean asked. “It says that they should be made publicly available.”

“And they were, they were,” Blanche said.

News: Nancy Mace Blasts Trump's Acting AG After Epstein Comment: 'Not Impressed'

Dean was then told her time had expired, but she rejected that notion.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Chairman,” Dean said before showing off her notes from her visits to the DOJ to review the unredacted files. “What rules are we operating under? Because he’s under a little bit of heat for not prosecuting anyone in these monstrous crimes.”

“I’ve been in the room, I’ve been there. This is what I had to do to transcribe to show what is true. What is true is that the president has lied about being on Epstein’s plane, and the unredacted files prove that,” she added.

Watch Blanche’s full testimony from Tuesday’s hearing here:

Politics: Pam Bondi Blamed Todd Blanche For Mishandling Epstein Material, Democrats Say

Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost.