Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met Thursday at Justice Department headquarters with accusers of Jeffrey Epstein after Sen. Thom Tillis demanded the meeting before he would vote on Blanche's nomination.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he would not vote to advance Blanche's nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee until Blanche met with victims and later wrote on social media that he "commend[ed] Todd Blanche for doing what all his predecessors over the last two decades never did: meet with the victims of Jeffery Epstein’s horrific crimes," and that he "I appreciate his willingness to directly engage and listen to them."
"Acting Attorney General Blanche, senior DOJ officials, FBI special agents, and victim services representatives met with Epstein victims today and had a productive, initial discussion," a Justice Department spokesperson said. "Acting AG Blanche answered questions and walked through what is needed for investigations to proceed. While some victims said that they had not reached out to the FBI under this administration, he encouraged victims to meet with FBI investigators as the next step, and attendees spoke with agents after the meeting about scheduling interviews. The Justice Department is determined to bring justice for all victims of human trafficking and sex crimes."
Dani Bensky, whose name and personal information were mistakenly made public in documents related to the federal investigation into Epstein, said Blanche treated the meeting "as a mere 'check-the-box' exercise intended to secure votes for his confirmation." She said Blanche "danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith or begin to restore trust" and added that she believes Blanche "is not qualified to serve as attorney general."
Annie Farmer said she feels "even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as the United States' Attorney General" and alleged Blanche was "abrasive, condescending, and intentionally noncommittal to survivors," which she described as "a marked contrast" from his testimony at Wednesday's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Blanche told reporters, "It wasn't all cordial," and said, "Because there's something that they want that I don't think I can give them, which is some form of justice. And I want to be able to give justice in the form of prosecutions, and maybe we can do a prosecution at some point." He added, "I don't know," and said the department had spoken with more than 30 representatives of the women and that "The Department of Justice will always meet with victims or their representatives, and if those victims or their representatives have evidence that anybody committed a crime — whether it has to do with Jeffrey Epstein or anybody else — we will of course move forward and investigate and prosecute."
Without Tillis' support, Blanche's nomination "won't make it through the Senate Judiciary Committee," and assuming all Democrats on the panel vote "no" a single Republican defection could keep the nomination from advancing to the Senate floor. Another Republican, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, has expressed concern and said he remains undecided about his vote, and Blanche has been leading the department in an acting capacity since April.
As deputy attorney general Blanche oversaw a massive review and the release of millions of files related to the Epstein investigation; the staggered release was beset by problems, including redaction errors that left exposed nude photos showing the faces of potential victims. Blanche told the committee he takes responsibility for mistakes, saying, "I am sorry that in about 1% of the documents mistakes were made," and that the department "put tons of resources to rectifying those mistakes immediately, including pulling down documents within minutes of being informed that there were mistakes."
Bensky was invited by Democrats to testify on a panel of outside witnesses earlier Thursday as part of the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation proceedings for Blanche. Blanche was questioned for hours Wednesday about the Epstein files as well as the creation of a fund to compensate President Trump's allies, a tax immunity deal for the president and a slew of other issues.
Tillis is retiring and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a single Republican "no" vote could halt Blanche's nomination.
"It had absolutely nothing to do with us," survivor Elizabeth Stein said, adding that "it had everything to do with Blanche checking a box so that he can get a promotion," and calling the meeting "demoralizing, to say the very least."
Dani Bensky described the meeting as "emotional" and urged continued commitment from Blanche in the Epstein investigation, calling the encounter "frustrating."
"Todd Blanche has never attempted to listen to us," Bensky said, alleging the department had failed to respond to victims' requests to meet via multiple channels.