Washington, Feb 2 (.) US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has cautioned that the latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files — despite containing new photographs and extensive correspondence involving powerful figures — does not automatically translate into fresh criminal charges.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Blanche said that the recently reviewed material underscores just the sheer scale and depravity of the notorious late businessman and felon’s world, which was unprecedented, but said that it nonetheless fell short of the legal threshold required to prosecute others.
“There’s a lot of correspondence. There are a lot of emails. There’s a lot of photographs—horrible photographs—that appear to be taken by Epstein or people around him,” he said. “But that doesn’t allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.”
Speaking to ABC earlier, Blanche said the Justice Department’s review of its Epstein-related holdings is effectively complete. While a small number of documents still await a judge’s approval for public release, he said investigators have finished combing through the department’s records.
“We reviewed over six million pieces of paper, thousands of videos, tens of thousands of images,” he said. “This review is over.”
The disclosures have renewed scrutiny of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, and whether he should cooperate with US investigators probing Epstein’s network.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested over the weekend that anyone with relevant information should come forward to aid the investigation.
“As far as testifying goes, I’ve always said anybody who’s got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they’re asked to do that,” Starmer said on Saturday as he arrived in Japan. “You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that.”
Mountbatten-Windsor has so far declined a request from members of the House Oversight Committee for a transcribed interview about his long-standing relationship with Epstein.
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