When “Not a Crime” Becomes the Defense: Todd Blanche on Partying With Jeffrey Epstein (2/5/26)

Todd Blanche said publicly that “it is not a crime to party with Jeffrey Epstein,” framing his remarks around a narrow legal distinction rather than a moral one. In interviews discussing the release of Epstein-related documents, Blanche argued that merely attending parties, socializing, or exchanging emails with Epstein does not automatically constitute criminal behavior under the law. His position was that inclusion in documents or social proximity alone is insufficient for prosecution unless there is concrete evidence of criminal conduct.


However, Blanche’s comments were widely criticized for what they emphasized and what they omitted. While his statement is legally accurate in the strictest sense, critics argue it minimizes the significance of repeated social association with a known sexual predator and ignores the broader context in which Epstein’s social world operated. Blanche did acknowledge that individuals who actively participated in or facilitated crimes would be prosecutable if evidence supports it, but by focusing almost exclusively on legality, his remarks were seen as reinforcing a pattern of elite deflection—reducing meaningful associations to harmless social contact and sidestepping deeper questions of knowledge, complicity, and accountability.


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Analysis: New files deepen a critical mystery about those who partied with Jeffrey Epstein | CNN Politics