Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche made a claim on Fox News on Monday that critics said could come back to haunt President Donald Trump and the Republican Party ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Blanche whether he would be prosecuting any of the people who partied with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as revealed in the newly released documents.

Blanche said he wouldn’t rule it out, then added a pretty big “but.”

“But, as you know, it is not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein,” he said. “It’s not a crime to email with Mr. Epstein.”

Blanche allowed that some of the men mentioned in the files may have done “horrible things,” and said the Justice Department would pursue charges if they have evidence. Then he circled back to the “but” one more time.

“But, it’s also the kind of thing that the American people need to understand, that it isn’t a crime to party with Mr. Epstein,” he repeated.

Trump and Epstein were once close friends and partied together before a falling out that was reportedly over real estate.

Last weekend, Blanche, who previously worked as Trump’s personal attorney, said the Justice Department had completed its review of the Epstein files and indicated that no new prosecutions were likely, as there was not enough evidence.

Several lawmakers said that the latest release from the files wasn’t enough ― and claimed that the Justice Department had still not complied with a law passed last year, which required a fuller disclosure.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) were ready to move forward with impeachment charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi if the remaining files were not released.

But, on social media, much of the attention was focused on Blanche’s claim about partying with Epstein: