Several survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sent written statements to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary opposing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to take on the role permanently, citing what they see as his mishandling of files related to the investigation of Epstein’s crimes.
The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein accusers who died by suicide last year, as well as survivors Jess Michaels and Liz Stein, sent statements to be read during Blanche’s confirmation hearing before the panel, which is set to take place this week.
In their letters, the family and survivors say they “strongly oppose” Blanche’s nomination by President Donald Trump, citing how victims’ personnel information was not redacted in the Epstein files release, but alleged perpetrators’ names were withheld.
“Survivors are being exposed while those who may have participated in or enabled these crimes are protected,” Sky and Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s family, wrote. “That is a betrayal of justice.”
Giuffre’s family also noted Blanche had claimed he met with survivors, but they said they are “unaware of a single survivor he has met with.”
“To confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General would say something profound about the moral compass of the United States,” they wrote. “It would tell survivors whether this country is willing to protect them, or whether it will continue to protect the powerful.”
Michaels identifies herself as “one of Epstein’s earliest publicly known survivors,” and includes two leads she gave the FBI during its investigation into the convicted pedophile, but neither was pursued. She includes a list of questions directed at Blanche about the leads she presented to be read during his confirmation.
“From my perspective, this wasn’t simply a technical mistake,” she wrote. “The handling of my file reflects a process that failed survivors.”
In her statement, Stein recounts her experience with Epstein, how the failed redactions in the files release included her personal information, and how that affected her life.
“If the Department of Justice cannot faithfully carry out a law specifically enacted to protect victims in one of the most significant sex trafficking cases in American history, why should any victim trust it to protect them?” Stein wrote. “The Attorney General is not the President’s personal attorney. The Attorney General’s client is the Constitution, the laws enacted by Congress, and the American people. The Epstein Files Transparency Act was one of those laws.”
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent legal defenders during the president’s criminal cases following his first term in office. He took on the role in an acting capacity after former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired from the post in the face of significant backlash over the DOJ’s role in releasing the Epstein files.
In April, Blanche told Fox News host Jesse Watters that the Epstein files “should not be a part of anything going forward” in the DOJ.
It remains to be seen whether or not Blanche will receive enough support from the Senate judiciary committee to be sent to the full Senate floor. Committee members Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and John Kennedy (R-LA) have all voiced opposition to Blanche taking on the attorney general role.
DOJ DEFENDS WITHHOLDING MORE EPSTEIN FILES, SEEKS 60-DAY EXTENSION
Centrist Republicans, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would also take some convincing if Blanche’s nomination moves past the committee.
Blanche would almost certainly receive no support from Democrats on the panel or in the chamber.