Nicolai Haugsted
Todd Blanche accused of dismissive treatment as Epstein survivors break silence.
Jeffrey Epstein’s victims say a meeting they had spent months trying to secure left them frustrated rather than reassured, with one survivor accusing Donald Trump’s acting attorney general of treating them with impatience instead of empathy.
The allegations emerged after several survivors met Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this month, hoping to receive answers about the handling of the long-running Epstein investigation and related decisions by the Justice Department.
Survivor claims Blanche cut victims short
Dani Bensky, who has publicly spoken about surviving Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, said the meeting quickly became confrontational.
Bensky said survivors had been requesting a meeting for months and were disappointed by Blanche’s response.
“He actually said the words ‘get to the point’ to us. We’re survivors who have been waiting to meet with him for nine months, eight months. We’ve been asking for meetings, and he very much said, ‘Can you get to the point already? Like, what are you getting at?'” she shaid according to The Daily Beast.
She also criticized what she described as Blanche’s approach to the discussion.
“There was no integrity, there was no understanding that he’s dealing with the largest sex trafficking ring that we’ve seen in the U.S., ever. Instead, it was like, ‘You have an Epstein problem.'”
Justice Department rejects allegation
A Justice Department official strongly disputed Bensky’s account.
According to the Daily Beast, the official said:
“It is unequivocally false to claim Acting AG Blanche said that.”
The White House also defended Blanche.
Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said:
“Todd Blanche has done an excellent job as acting Attorney General and will continue doing so as Attorney General.”
Survivors wanted answers
According to Bensky, those attending the meeting were seeking explanations on several unresolved issues surrounding the Epstein case.
Among their questions were why Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell had been transferred to a low-security prison and why certain investigative leads had allegedly not been pursued.
Bensky said the meeting failed to provide meaningful answers.
Nomination faces new political obstacle
The controversy comes as Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general faces fresh resistance in the Senate.
Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday they could block his confirmation.
Tillis had previously said he would only support Blanche’s nomination if he agreed to meet with Epstein’s victims. The senators’ latest concerns, however, also stem from Blanche’s reported refusal to abandon parts of a settlement tied to Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, including a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” for people claiming they were targeted by the Biden administration’s Justice Department.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on whether Blanche’s nomination advances later this week.
