Epstein’s victims blasted Trump nominee Todd Blanche after the meeting

Victims of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein criticized Todd Blanche after meeting with the acting attorney general at the Department of Justice, Sen. Thom Tillis urged Blanche to do so as he seeks Senate confirmation as US attorney general.

The victims called Blanche condescending and evasive, saying she appeared motivated to speak with them face-to-face Thursday afternoon to promote her nomination to President Donald Trump by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“After meeting with Todd Blanche, I feel even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as Attorney General of the United States,” said Annie Farmer, one of those victims, in a statement Thursday night.

“I found him insulting, disrespectful, and willfully uncommittal to the survivors — a stark contrast to his public testimony during his confirmation hearing,” Farmer said. “Although he is quick to point out the failures of the past administration, he refuses to take responsibility for the mistakes made under his leadership.”

But Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said he appreciates Blanche’s participation, which could pave the way for Tillis to vote for her nomination.

Earlier Thursday, Tillis warned that he was not willing to vote to advance his Senate nomination until Blanche met with Epstein’s victims.

“I expect that meeting to take place before I vote out of committee,” Tillis said Thursday morning.

If Tillis or one of the 11 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee votes against Blanche, it could kill her chance of confirmation, because all 10 Democrats on the panel are expected to vote against her. The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina last weekend left a Republican vacancy on the committee.

Blanche can continue to serve as acting AG if the Senate does not confirm her.

The DOJ said Friday morning that Blanche had a “successful, initial conversation” with a small group of victims.

But Blanche told reporters after the meeting, “It wasn’t all good.”

“Because they want something that I don’t think I can give them, which is some kind of justice,” said Blanche, according to the Associated Press. “And I want to be able to give justice through prosecution, and maybe we can prosecute at some point.”

“I don’t know,” he added.

Some victims have criticized Blanche and the DOJ for wrongly releasing documents about Epstein, including identifying personal information about survivors, and refusing to meet with them beforehand.

Blanche was appointed attorney general after Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April over her handling of the Epstein files.

Another Epstein survivor, Liz Stein, in an interview with MS NOW’s “The Weeknight,” called the meeting with Blanche “debilitating.”

“It had nothing to do with us, and it had to do with Blanche checking a box for a promotion,” Stein said.

Dani Bensky, who testified Thursday against Blanche’s nomination to the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement, “Unfortunately, Todd Blanche treated the meeting as a mere ‘check the box’ aimed at getting votes for confirmation.”

“He was dancing along to his words, interrupting us over and over and unable to commit to anything that would show credibility or begin to restore trust,” Bensky said.

Bensky criticized Blanche for not adequately answering why the DOJ “disclosed identifying information and photographs” in its initial release of the Epstein files.

“Nor did he provide a credible investigative strategy and pursue accountability without Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Epstein said of the defendant.

“I hope that Senator Tillis will see that this meeting was not enough,” said Bensky. “Todd Blanche is unfit to serve as attorney general.”

Amanda Roberts, Epstein’s late sister-in-law Virginia Giuffre, told CNN in an interview that “it felt like he had it because his hand was forced.”

But Tillis, in a post on X after the meeting, wrote, “I commend Todd Blanche for doing what all his predecessors in the past two decades have never done: meeting the victims of … Epstein’s horrific crime.”

“I appreciate his willingness to engage directly and listen to them,” Tillis wrote.

A DOJ spokesperson, in an email to CNBC on Friday, said: “Acting Attorney General Blanche, senior DOJ officials, FBI special agents and victim advocates have met with Epstein’s victims. [Thursday] and we had a productive, initial conversation.”

“Acting AG Blanche answered questions and looked into what was needed to continue the investigation,” the statement said.

“While some victims said they did not reach out to the FBI under this administration, he encouraged victims to meet with FBI investigators as a next step, and those present spoke with agents after the meeting about scheduling an interview,” the spokesperson said. “The Department of Justice is committed to bringing justice to all victims of human trafficking and sex crimes.”

It is unclear whether Tillis will vote to advance Blanche’s nomination to the Judiciary Committee.

Both he and Seni. John Cornyn of Texas, his Republican colleague on the panel, also separately expressed concern about the creation of the DOJ’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Gun Weapons” fund under Blanche.

That fund, which would not compensate victims alleged by DOJ prosecutors, was set aside as part of a settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the illegal leak of his tax records by an IRS contractor.

Pushback from Republican leaders and others led Blanche to tell a House subcommittee in June that the fund was dead.

However, Tillis, Cornyn and other critics of the fund have expressed concern that the Trump administration could revive it.