Jeffrey Epstein survivors blasted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after meeting with him Thursday at the Justice Department, calling him condescending and evasive and urging senators to vote against his confirmation.
Survivors said acting AG Todd Blanche was condescending and evasive, while Sen. Thom Tillis signaled the meeting may clear the way for his confirmation vote
United States Department of Justice building seen in Washington D.C., United States on December 19, 2025. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jeffrey Epstein survivors blasted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after meeting with him Thursday at the Justice Department, calling him condescending and evasive and urging senators to vote against his confirmation.
The meeting stemmed from a demand by Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican whose support is essential in the Senate Judiciary Committee, who had refused to commit to a favorable vote unless Blanche first sat down with Epstein survivors.
"I found him abrasive, condescending, and intentionally noncommittal to survivors — a marked contrast to his public testimony during his confirmation hearing," survivor Annie Farmer said in a statement Thursday night. "While quick to point to the failures of previous administrations, he refused to take accountability for mistakes made under his own leadership."
Dani Bensky, who earlier Thursday had appeared before the Judiciary Committee to testify against Blanche's nomination, wrote in a statement that Blanche "treated the meeting as a mere 'check-the-box' exercise intended to secure votes for his confirmation" and that he "repeatedly interrupted us and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith or begin to restore trust."
Liz Stein, speaking with MS NOW's "The Weeknight," described the meeting as "demoralizing," saying it had "absolutely nothing to do with us." Amanda Roberts, the sister-in-law of the late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, told CNN that "it felt like he only had it because his hand was forced."
Blanche conceded afterward that the session had been tense. "It wasn't all cordial, because there's something that they want that I don't think I can give them, which is some form of justice," he said, according to CNBC. He said he encouraged survivors to provide information to FBI investigators and indicated he would be willing to meet with them again.
The DOJ said in a statement Friday that Blanche had a "productive, initial discussion" with the survivors and that the Justice Department "is determined to bring justice for all victims of human trafficking and sex crimes."
After the meeting, Tillis took to X $TWTR to praise Blanche for doing "what all his predecessors over the last two decades never did: meet with the victims" of Epstein's crimes, a statement widely read as suggesting he might now support the nomination. Whether Tillis will ultimately vote Blanche out of committee remains unclear.
Blanche's nomination has faced complications beyond the Epstein matter. Tillis and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, another Republican on the Judiciary Committee, have raised concerns about the DOJ's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund," as it remained under federal court scrutiny even after Blanche declared it dead. Cornyn told CNN on Thursday he believes the fund "still can be revived." Blanche was nominated after President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April over her handling of the Epstein files. Because every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee is expected to oppose Blanche, his confirmation could be derailed by even one Republican breaking ranks. Blanche could continue serving as acting attorney general if the Senate does not confirm him.
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