Epstein survivors criticize Todd Blanche after DOJ meeting

Jeffrey Epstein survivors sharply criticized acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after a Justice Department meeting that could affect whether his nomination advances in the Senate. The fight matters because the attorney general runs the Justice Department, including federal prosecutions and how the department handles victim-related investigations.

Blanche, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become permanent U.S. attorney general, met Thursday with a small group of Epstein victims after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he wanted that meeting before supporting Blanche in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Several survivors said afterward that Blanche came across as dismissive and unwilling to make firm commitments. Annie Farmer said in a Thursday night statement that the meeting left her “even more confident” that senators should oppose Blanche’s confirmation.

Farmer described Blanche as “abrasive, condescending, and intentionally noncommittal to survivors,” and said he blamed earlier administrations while declining to accept responsibility for actions taken while he has led the department.

Confirmation pressure builds

Tillis had said Thursday morning that he was not ready to vote to send Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate unless Blanche first met with Epstein victims. With all 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee expected to oppose Blanche, one Republican defection could block the nomination in committee. The panel has 11 Republicans after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina left a vacancy.

Even without Senate confirmation, Blanche could remain acting attorney general, according to CNBC.

After the meeting, Tillis praised Blanche in a post on X, saying he appreciated that Blanche met directly with victims of Epstein’s crimes. Tillis wrote that Blanche did something his predecessors had not done over two decades by sitting down with them.

It remains unclear whether Tillis will vote to advance the nomination.

Survivors say the meeting fell short

Liz Stein, an Epstein survivor, told MS NOW’s “The Weeknight” that the meeting was “demoralizing.” She said it appeared to be about Blanche satisfying a political requirement to secure a promotion.

Dani Bensky, who testified against Blanche’s nomination before the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that Blanche treated the meeting as a “check-the-box” exercise. Bensky said he interrupted survivors, avoided direct wording and failed to offer commitments that would rebuild trust.

Bensky also criticized Blanche over the Justice Department’s initial releases of Epstein files, saying the department exposed victims’ identifying information and images. She said Blanche did not provide a credible plan to pursue accountability beyond Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted accomplice.

Amanda Roberts, the sister-in-law of the late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, told CNN that the meeting felt as though it happened only because Blanche was pressured into it.

DOJ calls it productive

The Justice Department gave a different account. A DOJ spokesperson told CNBC on Friday that Blanche, senior department officials, FBI special agents and victim services representatives had a “productive, initial discussion” with Epstein victims.

The spokesperson said Blanche answered questions and described what would be needed for investigations to proceed. DOJ said some victims had not contacted the FBI under the current administration and that Blanche encouraged them to meet with investigators as a next step.

Blanche told reporters after the meeting that “it wasn’t all cordial,” according to The Associated Press. He said survivors wanted “some form of justice” that he was not sure he could provide, adding that prosecutions might be possible at some point.

Blanche was nominated after Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April over her handling of the Epstein files. Blanche has also faced concerns from Tillis and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, over a $1.8 billion DOJ “Anti-Weaponization” fund created under his leadership. Blanche told a House subcommittee in June that the fund was dead after Republican backlash, though critics have said they remain concerned it could return.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.