Attorney and journalist Katie Phang has sharply criticized Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after he admitted in a court filing to missing a legal deadline in her lawsuit seeking unredacted Epstein files, characterizing his concession as evidence he "blew" the response window.

Phang, who hosts a podcast and is suing Blanche in his official capacity, addressed the developments in a recent episode. Blanche is currently serving as Acting Attorney General and is moving toward confirmation as the permanent attorney general.

According to Phang, Blanche acknowledged in a recent court filing that he missed a June 29 deadline to respond to her complaint over redactions in the Epstein files. Phang explained that Blanche attributed the lapse to "excusable neglect."

"There, my friends, is the confession by Todd Blanche that he blew the deadline, 'Excusable neglect,'" Phang said. "Well, isn't that an admission that you messed up, but you have a quote, 'excusable,' reason why you did?"

Phang's lawsuit demands either the release of more unredacted Epstein files or a detailed explanation from the Department of Justice regarding its redaction decisions. She alleges the DOJ improperly redacted materials and violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The case is part of a broader wave of litigation and legislative pressure aimed at forcing greater public disclosure of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender whose associations with prominent political and business figures have sustained intense public scrutiny since his death in federal custody in 2019.

Court records show Blanche had 60 days to respond to Phang's complaint but filed nothing within that window and never requested an extension. His latest filing is a motion asking the court to effectively erase the missed deadline and grant him additional time to answer the complaint. "Excusable neglect" is a recognized legal doctrine under federal procedural rules that allows courts to grant relief from procedural defaults, typically requiring the party to demonstrate that the failure resulted from circumstances that were reasonable or beyond their control rather than simple carelessness.

Phang characterized the motion as "more confessions by Todd Blanche that he blew the deadline" and questioned whether the lapse reflects on his fitness for the attorney general role.

"Do you think somebody like that should be the Attorney General of the United States? If he can't actually handle a basic deadline like responding to a lawsuit?" Phang said. "Makes you wonder how he can adequately and competently represent the people of the United States of America?"

Phang also took aim at language in the filing that described the missed deadline as "regrettable" and "not intentional." She offered her own assessment: "You're being caught with your pants down, and now you're scrambling because you're having a really big oh sh— moment."