Todd Blanche, US Attorney General.
He runs the Justice Department. A judge ordered him in September 2026 to hand over disputed Epstein records. When asked on NBC's Meet the Press to pledge the department's independence from the White House, he said "No, I'm not going to pledge that."
He directs the department's cases and fights: it filed a misconduct complaint against nearly all of Minnesota's federal judges, and the head of its so-called conspiracy investigation quit after a tense call with him.
He was moved up to Attorney General after Pam Bondi was fired over the Epstein files, so the release of those files now runs through him.
Aug 16, 2026 — Attorney General Todd Blanche, answering a question on NBC's "Meet the Press" about the Justice Department's independence from the White House, said: "No, I'm not going to pledge that." Democracy Now reported it on Aug 17. (democracynow.org)
Sept 10, 2026 — Joe diGenova stepped down from overseeing the Justice Department's so-called conspiracy investigation amid disagreements over its pace, a day after a tense phone call on Wednesday with Attorney General Todd Blanche. (cnn.com ; cnn.com)
Sept 16, 2026 — Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department to hand over disputed Epstein records by Sept 24, support blacking out victims' details, and submit FBI interview notes for private review. MS NOW reported the Justice Department appealed the order on the notes. (newsweek.com ; lawcommentary.com ; ms.now)
Sept 30, 2026 — The Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint against nearly all federal district judges in Minnesota (seven judges), Attorney General Blanche announced on Wednesday. (cnn.com ; pbs.org)