Ding Him $1,000 a Day

Attorney, journalist, and friend Katie Phang joins Grounded for an update on her ongoing legal fight against the DOJ after acting AG Todd Blanche essentially defied the court order to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This all comes days before an expected Blanche confirmation battle in the Senate.

“So literally hot off the presses, I just filed this response,” Phang said. “And my response calls [Blanche] out for violating the judge’s order, not to mention still as of today, July 13th, 2026, still violating the federal law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act as he’s on the eve of his confirmation hearing in Senate Judiciary. And what I do is I ask the judge to fine him $1,000 a day until he complies. Him, not the Department of Justice, but Todd Blanche.”

We also discuss headlines including the latest ICE involved fatal shooting in Maine and a new court ruling that recommends disciplinary action for Blanche and others for their involvement in the Trump IRS settlement slush fund move. We can’t let the episode end without some combine talk and another invitation to bring Katie to Big Sky Country.