Two dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged abuse have renewed their call for Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn to vote against the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general. In a letter addressed to both senators, the group stated that Blanche's recent meeting with victims was merely a perfunctory action taken only after his confirmation process faced challenges.
According to the survivors, the hour-long meeting involved "deflection, interruption and gaslighting." They also asserted that Blanche displayed no remorse regarding the release of materials that exposed victims' identities and images. Furthermore, they reported that he gave no indication of pursuing investigative leads beyond Epstein and Maxwell or seeking accountability for their associates.
Sen. Tillis had previously stipulated that Blanche must meet with the victims as a condition for his vote. Blanche met with the survivors on July 16, describing the encounter as "productive" and encouraging them to provide any information that could aid an investigation. However, he acknowledged that the survivors conveyed "frustration" with the process, stating, "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."
Annie Farmer, an Epstein survivor who attended the meeting, stated immediately afterward that she was "even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as the United States' Attorney General," characterizing Blanche as "abrasive, condescending, and intentionally noncommittal to survivors."
The group of survivors argued in their letter that the meeting itself should not be sufficient to earn Tillis' support. "Blanche's willingness to sit in a room with us should not matter more than how he treated us once he was there," the letter read.
The letter also raised concerns about the Department of Justice, under Blanche's leadership, allegedly mishandling the release of files containing victims' personal information and failing to adequately investigate Epstein's associates. Blanche has admitted to redaction errors but denied that any materials were withheld to shield Epstein's associates.
"Both of you have records of standing with survivors of human trafficking and sexual assault. A vote to confirm Todd Blanche would be a vote against those survivors," the survivors wrote in their appeal to Sens. Tillis and Cornyn.