Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing a new accusation for blocking the release of an unredacted Justice Department document related to Jeffrey Epstein. This adds to the ongoing dispute over how the Trump administration has managed the government’s Epstein files.
Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon and the top member of the Senate Finance Committee, stated on Wednesday that Blanche intervened to stop the Drug Enforcement Administration from releasing an unredacted 2015 memorandum prepared by the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
Wyden noted that the memo concerns a previously secret investigation into alleged drug trafficking, prostitution, and money laundering involving Epstein and several associates.
“It has come to my attention that you are preventing the Drug Enforcement Administration from producing an unredacted copy of a report I requested regarding drug trafficking and money laundering by Jeffrey Epstein and several associates,” Wyden wrote in a letter to Blanche, which his office released on Wednesday. He described the alleged interference as “highly disturbing.”
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon accused a top Justice Department official of blocking the release of a document related to a secret investigation of drug trafficking and prostitution by Jeffrey Epstein.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 18, 2026
Wyden’s office stated that committee investigators learned the DEA was ready to comply with his request until Blanche got involved. The senator said the redacted version of the 69-page memo, released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, showed that Epstein and 14 other individuals or entities were under investigation for “illegitimate wire transfers” linked to alleged drug and prostitution activities in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
CBS News reported that the memo was part of a DEA investigation that lasted at least five years and involved suspected money transfers possibly connected to illegal drugs. The outlet also mentioned that internal case coding indicated the involvement of “club drugs,” such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB, and that the document suggested a link to MDMA.
Blanche denied the accusation. In a social media post cited by CBS News, he said, “A sitting U.S. Senator has completely fabricated a story for clicks. No one is blocking anything.” He added that the memo is available to members of Congress “unredacted in our reading room,” noting that Wyden had not visited.
BREAKING: BOMBSHELL! Senator Ron Wyden EXPOSES corrupt Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for blocking the release of a mysterious Epstein report — and demands immediate action.
This is absolutely jaw-dropping…
“Huge: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — Trump’s former… pic.twitter.com/JIhiGG6goj
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) March 18, 2026
This dispute comes as the Justice Department faces pressure from Congress over its management of the wider Epstein file release. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday, ordering her to appear for a deposition on April 14.
The department stated that the subpoena was unnecessary, as lawmakers had already been invited to review unredacted files at the Justice Department. Bondi and Blanche were already scheduled to brief committee members privately.
Republican Rep. James Comer, the committee’s chairman, expressed that lawmakers want answers about the department’s “collection, review, and determinations regarding the release of files” under the transparency law.
Reuters reported that lawmakers have complained some redactions seem to exceed the limited exemptions allowed by the act, while the department claimed it worked swiftly to review millions of pages and denied shielding powerful figures.
The DOJ has faced numerous accusations of delaying or covering up aspects of the Epstein files by lawmakers. Rep. Thomas Massie has been at the forefront of challenging the DOJ to be more transparent with those who are closely associated with Epstein.
