yahoo news | What new acting AG Todd Blanche has said about Epstein files

Interim Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the Justice Department has completed the release of the Epstein files, emphasizing that the process was carried out in full compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and that victims’ identities were rigorously protected. Blanche, who took over after the dismissal of AG Pam Bondi, said the department reviewed more than six million documents—including papers, videos and images—and that “no one—including President Donald Trump—was given special treatment” during the review.

The final tranche of documents, issued in early February 2026, did not contain sufficient new evidence to mount additional criminal prosecutions. Apart from the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell for child‑sex‑trafficking and conspiracy, Blanche noted that merely “partying with” or emailing Mr. Epstein is not a crime, though the department will pursue charges if clear evidence emerges. He also reiterated that the DOJ has acted swiftly to correct any redaction errors flagged by victims or their lawyers.

The release has sparked partisan debate and raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Bondi’s firing, which Blanche denied was linked to the Epstein files. Lawmakers are expected to press for access to unredacted records and explanations for any withholdings, and the House Oversight Committee is weighing a subpoena for Bondi’s testimony. Blanche will continue to lead the DOJ’s response to congressional oversight as the controversy unfolds.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/what-new-acting-ag-todd-blanche-has-said-about-epstein-files-11778993

#toddblanche #justicedepartment #epsteinfiles #ghislainemaxwell #houseoversightcommittee

Top Oversight Democrat says fired AG Pam Bondi ‘must answer’ for Epstein files

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/robert-garcia-pam-bondi-fired

yahoo news | Lawmaker shares theory behind Epstein accountant's U-turn

Rep. Ro Khanna told “MS NOW” that he believes the sudden reversal by Jeffrey Epstein’s former accountant, Richard Kahn, was driven by political pressure from former President Donald Trump. Kahn had initially testified before the House Oversight Committee that Epstein’s estate paid a settlement to “Jane Doe 4,” the woman who alleges Trump raped her at age 13 in the 1980s. Within hours, Kahn’s attorney walked back the claim, offering only a vague “neither confirm nor deny” stance on any settlement.

Khanna pointed to the fact that the FBI had interviewed Jane Doe 4 four separate times, arguing that such repeated questioning lends credibility to her allegations and suggests the settlement story was not fabricated. He warned that Trump could have instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi—or her successor—to launch a prosecution against Kahn or otherwise retaliate, creating a chilling effect that would make the accountant “bite his tongue” and retract his testimony.

The lawmaker’s theory hinges on the interplay between the high‑profile nature of the case, the potential for Trump‑linked political retribution, and the stark contrast between Kahn’s initial admission and his rapid repudiation. If Khanna is correct, the retraction may reflect fear of legal consequences rather than a genuine lack of evidence, leaving the question of whether any settlement was actually disbursed unresolved.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/bizarre-turnaround-from-epstein/

#rokhanna #jeffreyepstein #donaldtrump #houseoversightcommittee #janedoe4

yahoo news | ...Photo Does NOT Show Hillary Clinton Pulling Jeffrey Epstein's Tie In Front Of...

Fact‑checkers have confirmed that the viral image claiming to show Hillary Clinton pulling Jeffrey Epstein’s tie in front of Bill Clinton is not a genuine photograph. An AI‑image detection tool identified the picture as 99.8 % likely to be AI‑generated, and a separate SynthID analysis detected a watermark indicating the image was created or edited with Google’s AI tools.

The claim originated in a Facebook post by the group Common Sense on February 27, 2026, which paired the fabricated picture with the slogan “I never met Jeffrey Epstein” and a depiction of Hillary Clinton under oath. In her actual closed‑door testimony before the House Oversight Committee on February 26, 2026, Clinton stated she had never met Epstein, never flown on his plane, and had no knowledge of his criminal activities.

Lead Stories ran the image through Google’s Gemini AI assistant, which concluded the picture appears to be AI‑generated, and the Hive Moderation AI‑Generated Content Detection tool reached the same 99.8 % likelihood result. Both analyses confirm the picture was fabricated, underscoring that the purported “photo” is a product of artificial‑intelligence manipulation rather than an authentic snapshot.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-photo-does-not-214606743.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

#hillaryclinton #jeffreyepstein #houseoversightcommittee

The New Republic | Democrats Hunt Down Epstein Investigators and Missing Hard Drives by Edith Olmsted

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are looking for more answers about missing materials from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.

In a series of letters Thursday, Democrats on the committee sought testimony from three private investigators who removed a trove of materials from the alleged sex trafficker’s mansion in Palm Beach, including several hard drives.

A memo from one private investigator, William Riley, to Epstein’s criminal attorney Roy Black detailed the list of “items of potential evidentiary value” that had been removed just 11 days before law enforcement raided Epstein’s home in 2005. That list included three desktop computers, dozens of telephone directories, photographs of naked women, sex toys, and pornography.

Read more: https://newrepublic.com/post/208290/house-oversight-democrats-epstein-private-investigators-missing-hard-drives

#departmentofjustice #fbi #jeffreyepstein #politics #houseoversightcommittee

Jezebel | Prison Guards Were Googling Jeffrey Epstein Just Before He Was Found Dead, Files Say by Jim Vorel

Financier, pedophile and human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein died in New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on Aug. 10, 2019, and despite more than six years passing since that date, most of the pertinent questions and enduring mysteries of how the man–who once wrote to a friend that his lifelong peer President Donald Trump loved “young, nubile girls”–really died have remained unanswered. Even in the wake of the release of millions upon millions of additional files from the Department of Justice, all of which the Trump administration has fought tooth and nail to avoid releasing, each new piece of information only seems to raise more questions. When it comes to the actual circumstances of Epstein’s death, however, members of Congress are hoping to soon obtain more details via testimony from a source that is a long time coming: The prison guards who were tasked with watching over Epstein’s cell that night. You know, the same guards that documents included in the released files say were apparently running Google searches on Epstein less than an hour before he was discovered dead in his cell, via what the FBI still insists was a suicide by hanging.

The Epstein-Googling guard in question, a woman named Tova Noel, has been a source of intense speculation related to the case for years. She is now expected to testify before the House Oversight Committee; an interview that was supposed to happen today but has been postponed “due to scheduling issues.” She’s an Army veteran, and began working in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) of the prison at the beginning of July, 2019, the exact same week that Epstein was arrested for the second time on federal sex-trafficking charges and moved there. Along with fellow guard Michael Thomas, Noel was one of two guards who according to policy were meant to be checking on Epstein every 30 minutes. That seemingly did not happen, but it’s largely impossible to say what did happen thanks to a lack of functional cameras scattered throughout the facility, including the cameras near Epstein’s cell in the SHU. These camera issues were already known to the facility according to a 2023 DOJ report, and the entire Metropolitan Correctional Center announced in 2021 that it would be “temporarily” closing to address issues of degrading security and infrastructure. It has never reopened in the five years since.

The House committee that is investigating the case into Jeffrey Epstein is calling for the testimony of Tova Noel, the prison guard who was working the night of his death. Noel has said she believes she is the last person to have seen Jeffrey Epstein alive. #PINKS

Read more: https://www.jezebel.com/epstein-death-files-prison-guards-tova-noel-googling-suspicious-deposits-bribes-testimony-congress

#jeffreyepstein #tovanoel #houseoversightcommittee #fbi #metropolitancorrectionalcenter

qwant news | Prison Guards Were Googling Jeffrey Epstein Just Before He Was Found Dead, Files Say

Financier, pedophile and convicted sex‑trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019. Six years later, newly released Department of Justice files show that the two guards assigned to his Special Housing Unit – Tova Noel and Michael Thomas – were supposed to check on Epstein every thirty minutes, but the logs indicate an eight‑hour gap with no documented checks. Both guards were later charged with falsifying those logs, pleaded guilty, and received no jail time in exchange for cooperating with an Inspector General review. The files also reveal that, less than an hour before Epstein was discovered hanging, Noel’s computer recorded a Google search for “latest on Epstein in jail,” sandwiched between unrelated queries about furniture and law‑enforcement discounts. When questioned in a 2021 interview, Noel flatly denied making that search.

The released documents further expose suspicious financial activity tied to Noel. JP Morgan Chase filed a Suspicious Activity Report with the FBI in November 2019 after detecting twelve cash deposits she made between April 2018 and July 2019, the largest being $5,000 on July 30, 2019—just two weeks before Epstein’s death. Noel was never asked about these deposits during her 2021 interview, and investigators have not publicly pursued the matter. In addition, the files note that Epstein possessed extra clothing and linens in his cell—items normally prohibited for inmates on suicide watch—raising questions about how they got there, since Noel claimed she didn’t supply them.

Congressional investigators are now pressing the House Oversight Committee to summon Noel for testimony, hoping her answers will clarify the unanswered details surrounding Epstein’s final hours. The committee’s focus includes the Google search, the unexplained cash deposits, and the “moving orange flash” video captured that night, as well as broader security failures at the MDC, such as malfunctioning cameras and a half‑closed prison that has remained shuttered since 2021. While the new evidence fuels further speculation and conspiracy theories, it also provides a concrete avenue for lawmakers to seek a clearer account of how a man with vast wealth and powerful connections died behind bars.

Read more: https://www.jezebel.com/epstein-death-files-prison-guards-tova-noel-googling-suspicious-deposits-bribes-testimony-congress

#jeffreyepstein #metropolitancorrectionalcenter #departmentofjustice #fbi #houseoversightcommittee

yahoo news | Epstein’s lawyer, accountant say they weren’t interviewed in federal probes

Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer, Darren Indyke, and his accountant, Richard Kahn, testified before the House Oversight Committee that they were never interviewed by federal investigators during the Justice Department’s probe of the late financier. In closed‑door depositions, both men said they had no knowledge of Epstein’s alleged abuse and emphasized that they now serve as co‑executors of his estate, which has already supplied thousands of documents to the congressional inquiry. They stressed that neither had been accused of aiding Epstein’s crimes and that any wrongdoing they might have witnessed would have prompted them to sever ties and report the matter to authorities.

Indyke asserted that his conversations with Epstein were limited to legal advice on business matters and that he never discussed “social relationships” or any illicit activity. Kahn, who met Epstein roughly every three weeks, said he never attended party functions, never observed sexual abuse, and never received any complaints about trafficking. Both men recounted that Epstein told them he was unaware a minor was involved in his 2008 conviction and assured them the situation would not recur. They also described how Epstein’s massive cash flows and elaborate household arrangements appeared legitimate to them at the time, and they expressed surprise that investigators might interpret those financial patterns as evidence of trafficking.

The testimony also touched on the victims‑compensation fund that Kahn and Indyke helped establish while administering Epstein’s estate, distributing tens of millions of dollars before the fund wound down in 2021. Lawmakers noted that, aside from Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction, none of the individuals interviewed have faced charges related to Epstein. The committee continues to seek interviews with other high‑profile figures connected to Epstein’s network, including former presidents, prominent financiers, and additional members of his inner circle, as they attempt to piece together how the financier amassed such wealth and evaded accountability for decades.

Read more: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/nation-world/epsteins-lawyer-accountant-say-they-werent-interviewed-in-federal-probes-house-oversight-committee-epstein-files-department-of-justice-sex-trafficking-investigation

#jeffreyepstein #houseoversightcommittee #justicedepartment #ghislainemaxwell #epstein’sestate

yahoo news | Epstein's accountant and lawyer reveal DOJ never questioned them about disgraced financier's crimes

Epstein’s former accountant, Richard Kahn, and his former lawyer, Darren Indyke, told the House Oversight Committee that the Department of Justice never interviewed them about Jeffrey Epstein’s illegal activities. Both men said they had never been questioned by any government authority regarding Epstein’s crimes, despite receiving grand‑jury subpoenas from the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands asking for the financier’s estate documents, wills and trust papers. Their testimony emphasized that any inquiries they received were limited to routine financial records rather than the broader scope of Epstein’s alleged sex‑trafficking conduct.

The statements were made as the DOJ continued to release thousands of pages from the “Epstein Files,” a trove of documents disclosed after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. Kahn and Indyke’s appearances in those files do not, on their own, imply wrongdoing, and both insisted they were unaware of the specifics of Epstein’s criminal behavior. Kahn recalled that Epstein had told him his 2006 arrest was a mistake and that he did not know a minor was involved, while Indyke said he believed Epstein’s 2008 plea deal in Florida, which acknowledged solicitation of a minor for prostitution, was based on misinformation.

Their testimonies joined a larger series of interviews with public figures connected to Epstein—including former presidents, secretaries of state and business leaders—conducted by the Oversight Committee. So far, none of the individuals who have testified have faced criminal charges for their proximity to Epstein, apart from Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2022. The committee’s investigation continues to seek accountability and clarity about the extent of Epstein’s network, but Kahn and Indyke maintain they were merely transactional professionals who lacked knowledge of the financier’s illicit activities.

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/epsteins-accountant-lawyer-say-doj-never-once-questioned-them-about-his-crimes

#houseoversightcommittee #departmentofjustice #jeffreyepstein #southerndistrictofnewyork #ghislainemaxwell

yahoo news | Epstein's accountant and lawyer reveal DOJ never questioned them about disgraced...

Former accountant Richard Kahn and former attorney Darren Indyke told the House Oversight Committee that, despite receiving document subpoenas from the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Department of Justice never interviewed either of them about Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal conduct. Kahn said the requests focused solely on Epstein’s estate documents—his will and a 1953 trust—while Indyke confirmed he had not been asked any questions about Epstein’s dealings and that his lack of interrogation was “consistent with the scope of [his] employment” as a transactional lawyer for Epstein.

Both men reiterated that they had been aware of Epstein’s 2008 Florida plea deal in which he admitted to soliciting a minor for prostitution, but they claimed they had believed Epstein’s assertions that he did not know any of the victims were under‑age. Kahn recalled Epstein telling him that his 2006 arrest was a mistake and that he would never repeat such behavior, and he said that, had he learned of any illegal activity, he would have quit immediately. Indyke echoed this sentiment, saying he trusted Epstein’s assurances and therefore “made the mistake of believing” the financier would not commit another crime. Their testimony comes after the Justice Department released extensive “Epstein Files” in December 2023, a disclosure mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Trump in 2025.

The committee’s investigation includes a wider array of witnesses—former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaire Les Wexner and Epstein’s alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2022 for exploiting under‑age girls. To date, none of the individuals appearing before the Oversight Committee, other than Maxwell, have faced criminal charges related to their connection with Epstein. While Kahn’s and Indyke’s statements do not, on their own, demonstrate wrongdoing, they add another layer to the ongoing scrutiny of how the Justice Department and federal investigators handled the Epstein case.

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/epsteins-accountant-lawyer-say-doj-never-once-questioned-them-about-his-crimes

#epstein #doj #houseoversightcommittee #departmentofjustice