A coalition of 101 former federal and state judges and lawyers filed a formal complaint with the New York State Bar on June 22 calling for an ethics investigation into acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Days later, a federal judge found that Blanche had effectively admitted to violating the law on the release of Jeffrey Epstein files.
The complaint, filed by Democracy Defenders Fund and Lawyers Defending American Democracy, asks the Attorney Grievance Committee to open a professional responsibility investigation that could result in Blanche’s disbarment in New York.
The 70-page letter accuses Blanche of abusing the Justice Department’s investigative and prosecutorial powers for political retribution, failing to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and orchestrating what it calls a slush fund to compensate Jan. 6 rioters and others convicted of crimes. At the heart of the complaint is Blanche’s alleged failure to recuse himself from matters involving his former personal client, President Donald Trump.
“Blanche’s central role in the Department’s response to the EFTA failed to meet his expectations of competent and diligent representation of the United States, was burdened by his own conflicts of interest, and reflected adversely on his fitness as an attorney,” the letter states.
The Epstein files
The crux of the complaint is Blanche’s handling of the Epstein files. Trump is referenced in more than 5,300 of those files—including FBI interview notes from a woman who alleged that in the 1980s, when she was about 13 years old, Epstein introduced her to Trump, who she says then assaulted her.
The complaint also takes aim at Blanche’s handling of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and co-conspirator, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
According to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Blanche held two unusual meetings with Maxwell roughly one week after reports emerged that she had assembled a birthday book for Epstein that included a personal note from Trump. Maxwell spoke favorably of Trump during those meetings. About a week later, she was transferred to a minimum-security prison in Texas—a move that appeared to violate Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policy, which does not ordinarily permit such transfers for people convicted of sex offenses. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed to the House Oversight Committee that Blanche conducted the Maxwell interviews because he was “leading the Epstein matter and the release of everything from the beginning.”
Making matters murkier, BOP quietly updated its internal policy last month to give the attorney general new authority to override BOP on prisoner placement—meaning Blanche can now keep Maxwell at the minimum-security facility indefinitely. Whitehouse has been seeking answers about the transfer since August 2025. The Department of Justice and BOP have not responded to his requests.
“Ms. Maxwell’s abrupt transfer has the appearance of a political favor orchestrated by Acting Attorney General Blanche,” Whitehouse wrote in a letter to Blanche and BOP Director William Marshall this week.
“Todd Blanche has spent the last year and a half demonstrating loyalty to one man: Donald Trump,” said Amb. Norm Eisen, co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. “From his handling of the Epstein files to his willingness to abuse the power of the DOJ for political retribution, Blanche’s conduct raises grave ethical questions that merit investigation.”
The slush fund
The complaint also targets Blanche’s role in a legal settlement that critics say amounted to a political giveaway. In Trump v. IRS, Blanche and DOJ never contested Trump’s claims and never appeared in court before settling—resulting in a $1.776 billion fund and an extraordinary release from tax liability for Trump, his family, and his organizations.
Though Blanche has since told Congress the fund “is not going forward,” he has declined to formally rescind his order establishing it or submit a sworn statement confirming it won’t be implemented.
Three days after the complaint was filed, a federal judge added legal weight to the allegations. US District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled June 25 that Blanche had effectively conceded the DOJ was violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law Congress passed last November requiring public release of the vast majority of Epstein records according to Politico. Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction giving Blanche one week to remove certain redactions or provide a more detailed justification for withholding them.
The records covered by Sullivan’s order also include the identities of email correspondents who discussed a “torture video” and sexual activity with minors, names of co-defendants in a draft indictment, and the identities of DOJ officials who exchanged messages about potential co-conspirators.
“The Attorney General does not respond substantively to any of these arguments,” Sullivan wrote in his opinion. “The Attorney General has conceded that he is in violation of the Act.”
A Justice Department spokesperson disputed the characterization, saying Blanche “has not conceded anything” and that the department would appeal.
The accountability effort now spans multiple fronts. Sen. Adam Schiff has separately launched a congressional inquiry into Blanche’s alleged disregard of an ethics directive requiring him to recuse himself from Trump-related cases.
Blanche has served as acting head of the Justice Department since April, when Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump nominated Blanche for the permanent role earlier this month, with a confirmation hearing set for next month.
