Month: December 2025

On Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back against criticism surrounding the Justice Department’s ongoing release of documents tied to convicted the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, insisting that references to President Trump are not being removed, and that all redactions are focused on protecting victims.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Blanche said the department is undertaking a massive review process involving hundreds of attorneys examining roughly a million pages of records, most of which contain sensitive victim information. He said the scope of the material explains why the rollout has been gradual, despite complaints that the administration missed a 30-day deadline set by Congress.

The initial batch of files released Friday drew sharp reactions from victim advocates and lawmakers, who described the materials as heavily redacted and lacking substantive new details. Some Democrats accused the administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed last month, while a handful of Republicans also criticized the Justice Department for temporarily removing documents after they were posted.

Mr. Blanche said: “You’re talking about a million or so pages of documents — virtually all of them contain victim information,” and rejected claims that the department is shielding the president. “We are not redacting information around President Trump,” he said, adding that suggestions to the contrary are unfounded.

At the center of the controversy was the temporary removal of more than a dozen photographs from the Justice Department’s website, including an image showing a tabletop or credenza displaying framed photos of Epstein with prominent figures. An open drawer in the photo contained printed images of Trump with women in bathing suits. Mr. Blanche said: “It has nothing to do with President Trump. The absurdity of pulling down a single photo because of President Trump is laughable.” He explained that the images were taken down after victim advocacy groups raised concerns that some women pictured might be Epstein victims, “so we pulled that photo down.”

In a separate explanation to NBC News, Blanche said, “We don’t have perfect information. And so when, when we hear from victims-rights groups about this type of photograph, we pull it down and investigate. We’re still investigating that photo. The photo will go back up, and the only question is whether there will be redactions on the photo.”

Later Sunday, the Justice Department confirmed the image had been flagged by the Southern District of New York and was temporarily removed “out of an abundance of caution.” After review, officials said it was reposted without changes. The department wrote on X. “The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims. Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”

Blanche also addressed mounting political pressure over the pace of the document release, saying delays are necessary to ensure compliance with the law’s victim-protection requirements, “the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that to protect victims. We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the [Epstein Files] Transparency Act expects.”

Lawmakers from both parties voiced frustration, however, Blanche dismissed those attacks – saying critics are ignoring the need to safeguard victims. He described them as “the same individuals who apparently don’t want us to protect victims,” and added that the department would not change course.

Amid accusations that the administration is concealing damaging information, Blanche flatly denied any cover-up involving the president:  “I have no reason to believe that the lawyers that were working on this case were talking about President Trump, because he had nothing to do with the Epstein files. He had nothing to do with the horrific crimes that Mr. Epstein committed. We are not redacting information around President Trump, around any other individual involved with Mr. Epstein, and that narrative, which is not based on fact at all, is completely false.”

Editorial credit: Joey Sussman / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Coast Guard was engaged Sunday in an active pursuit of a sanctioned oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to disrupt what it describes as Venezuela’s illicit oil trade.

According to U.S. officials, the vessel is part of a so-called “dark” or shadow fleet used to evade international sanctions tied to the Venezuelan government. Officials said the ship was operating under a false flag and is subject to a judicial seizure order.  One official said that “the United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”

The tanker being pursued has been identified as Bella 1, a vessel placed under U.S. sanctions in June 2024. Officials say it was sailing toward Venezuela to load oil and has links to Iranian oil networks, placing it under counterterrorism sanctions connected to a broader financial network used by sanctioned actors. When Coast Guard personnel attempted to board the ship, the vessel failed to comply and continued sailing, triggering the ongoing chase, officials said. The operation, first reported by Reuters, is the second interdiction effort in as many days and the third targeting a tanker near Venezuela in less than a week.

The pursuit follows a pre-dawn operation Saturday in which the Coast Guard, with support from the Defense Department, seized the Panama-flagged tanker Centuries in international waters. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly described that ship as “a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, shared video of the operation and said the tanker had last docked in Venezuela. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” she said.

Earlier this month, U.S. authorities also seized another sanctioned tanker, the Skipper, which officials said had ties to Iran. If the Bella 1 is intercepted, it would become the third vessel stopped by U.S. forces in the Caribbean during the current enforcement push.

President Trump last week called for a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, part of a broader pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro. The tanker seizures come amid heightened tensions, with the administration also ordering strikes against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that it alleges are smuggling fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States. U.S. officials say more than 100 people have been killed in those operations since early September.

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, though production remains far below capacity due to years of sanctions. While most of its oil exports now flow to China, U.S. officials have said recent seized shipments were bound for Asia.

Editorial credit: Kevin Shipp / Shutterstock.com