{"id":2587202,"date":"2026-04-04T20:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T00:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jesse-watters-asks-todd-blanche-point-blank-if-he-thinks-bondi-mishandled-epstein-files\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T20:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T00:35:59","slug":"jesse-watters-asks-todd-blanche-point-blank-if-he-thinks-bondi-mishandled-epstein-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jesse-watters-asks-todd-blanche-point-blank-if-he-thinks-bondi-mishandled-epstein-files\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Watters Asks Todd Blanche Point-Blank If He Thinks Bondi Mishandled Epstein Files"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjesse-watters-asks-todd-blanche-point-blank-if-he-thinks-bondi-mishandled-epstein-files%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2587202&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Fox News host Jesse watters pressed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche about whether former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi mishandled Epstein-related files. Blanche, who is set to become acting head of the justice Department, said President Trump did not indicate Bondi\u2019s issues were tied to the Epstein files and that the Epstein saga has lasted about a year; he noted that the Department of Justice released all Epstein files after the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Bondi and Blanche voluntarily appeared before lawmakers so that lawmakers could review documents, redacted or unredacted, as requested.The House Oversight Committee had voted to subpoena Bondi to testify about the Epstein files, with bipartisan support. Bondi faced criticism over how she managed the Epstein files, including a February 2025 claim about Epstein\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elizabeth-warren-abandons-mckinsey-disclosure-demands\/\" title=\"Elizabeth Warren Abandons McKinsey Disclosure Demands\">client list<\/a> on her desk and a July memo stating no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-dan-bongino-doesnt-show-up-for-work-after-epstein-files-dust-up-with-pam-bondi\/\" title=\"Report: Dan Bongino Doesn&#039;t Show Up for Work After ... Dust-Up with Pam Bondi\">client list existed<\/a> and that Epstein\u2019s death was a suicide. After the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in November, the DOJ gradually released the files to the public; Trump had privately criticized Bondi\u2019s leadership as a \u201cweak and ineffective enforcer.\u201d The piece also <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >features standard publisher disclosures<\/a> and unrelated site scripts and ads.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Fox News&rsquo; Jesse Watters pressed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday whether he believed former Attorney General Pam Bondi mishandled files related to Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>Bondi&rsquo;s tenure as Attorney General has ended as President Donald Trump announced Blanche will step in as acting head of the Department of Justice. Appearing on &ldquo;Jesse Watters Primetime,&rdquo; Watters asked Blanche if he thought that the Epstein files were not handled well.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;First of all, I have never heard President Trump say that the Attorney General was, that anything that happened to her had anything to do with the Epstein files. So look, the Epstein files has been a saga that&rsquo;s lasted for the entire for the past year,&rdquo; Blanche told Watters.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And what happened when the president signed the Transparency Act is that&nbsp;the Department of Justice has now released all the files, with respect to the Epstein saga.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Blanche said he and Bondi voluntarily appeared before lawmakers to answer questions, ensuring that every senator and congressman could review any redacted or unredacted document they requested.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In March, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi to testify about the Epstein files, with bipartisan support that included five Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Attorney General Bondi and I appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago to answer any questions they had. We have made every single congressman and senator available to come and see any document, redacted [and] unredacted, that they want,&rdquo; Blanche said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of &nbsp;the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"390\">Bondi faced repeated criticisms over how she managed the Epstein files.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"390\">In February 2025, she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/bondi-says-epstein-client-list-sitting-my-desk-right-now-reviewing-jfk-mlk-files\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">claimed<\/a> to have Epstein&rsquo;s client list on her desk and distributed binders containing mostly repetitive material to conservative influencers at the White House.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"654\">Tensions escalated in July when a DOJ memo said that no client list existed and added that Epstein&rsquo;s death was a suicide.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"654\">After Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November, the Justice Department gradually released the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">files<\/a> to the public.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"654\">Trump previously called out Bondi on  to question her over slow-moving investigations into former FBI Director James Comey, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, and Democratic Attorney General Letitia James of New York.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"392\" data-end=\"654\">Trump is reportedly frustrated with Bondi&rsquo;s leadership, privately describing her as a &ldquo;weak and ineffective enforcer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Jesse Watters Primetime, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked whether he believed former Attorney General Pam Bondi mishandled Epstein-related files. With Bondi no longer in office and Blanche set to take over as acting head of the Department of Justice, Blanche said he had never heard President Trump claim Bondi\u2019s conduct was connected to the Epstein documents, noting that the Epstein saga has dragged on for about a year and that the DOJ, after the Transparency Act, has released all Epstein files. He added that he and Bondi voluntarily testified before lawmakers and made both redacted and unredacted documents available for review.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, in March, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi to testify about the Epstein files, with bipartisan support including five Republicans. Blanche said Bondi and he appeared before Congress voluntarily a couple of weeks earlier and ensured that any requested documents were accessible. Bondi had faced criticism over her handling of the Epstein files; in February 2025 she claimed Epstein\u2019s client list was on her desk and that she distributed binders containing largely repetitive material to conservative influencers at the White House. A DOJ memo later reportedly stated that no client list existed and that Epstein\u2019s death was a suicide. After Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November, the DOJ gradually released the files to the public.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has previously criticized Bondi for slow investigations into former FBI Director James Comey as well as into Democratic figures, privately describing her as a \u201cweak and ineffective enforcer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2587203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7476.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[25914,45543,23206],"class_list":["post-2587202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-blanche","tag-bondi","tag-watters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7476.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2587202"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2587206,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587202\/revisions\/2587206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2587203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2587202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2587202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2587202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}