Todd Blanche faces contempt fine and legal scrutiny over Epstein files and press subpoenas

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is under multiple legal challenges. A federal judge has ordered him into contempt for refusing to comply with a 2025 ruling that requires the full release of Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a motion seeking a $1,000‑a‑day fine until he obeys. At the same time, the Department of Justice, under Blanche, issued grand‑jury subpoenas to New York Times reporters investigating a Qatar‑donated Air Force One, drawing criticism from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Separately, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the Trump administration’s settlement creating a $1.776 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund and granting President Trump and his family immunity from future IRS audits was brought in “bad faith” and illegal. The ruling referred Blanche and other attorneys to bar associations for disciplinary inquiry. Former deputy assistant attorney general Tom Dupree warned that these actions depart from DOJ norms and could dominate Blanche’s upcoming Senate confirmation hearing.