Todd Blanche says 16 removals came at request of victim advocacy groups and says images would likely go back up
Deputy US attorney general Todd Blanche said on Sunday that removing photos from Friday’s Jeffrey Epstein files release, including one of Donald Trump, has “nothing to do” with the president – and maintained the images would likely go back up after it is determined whether they need redactions.
Blanche said the 16 removals came at the request of victim advocacy groups. “We don’t have perfect information,” Blanche told NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday. “And so when, when we hear from victims-rights groups about this type of photograph, we pull it down and investigate.”
As Blanche put it, an investigation into the photos was ongoing, and they “will go back up,” with the only question being “whether there will be redactions”.
Victims rights advocate Gloria Allred told CNN on Saturday that the “system has failed the survivors”, including with the release of files that may have been “under-redacted”.
