A group of women who identify as survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse recently secured a meeting with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, but the encounter left them feeling deeply dehumanized. The survivors had prepared for a professional, businesslike session where they intended to urge the Justice Department to pursue new leads regarding Epstein’s associates and address concerns about the disclosure of their identities in published investigative files. Instead, they described the experience as “jaw-dropping” and emotionally exhausting.
The meeting was arranged after Senator Thom Tillis informed Blanche on July 16 that he would only support his confirmation if he met with the survivors. This ultimatum followed testimony from Dani Bensky, a teacher from Hawaii, who had informed the Senate that she and other survivors were being denied a face-to-face meeting with the nominee. The Justice Department announced the meeting would take place that same day.
Bensky described the atmosphere as intense, noting that she had testified against Blanche at his confirmation hearing earlier that day. She reported that the Justice Department initially offered a meeting with staff, but later upgraded it to a session with Blanche himself. The meeting included a handful of survivors from across the country, family members of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and the women’s lawyers, who joined via video call. Blanche was accompanied by Alessandra Serano, the trafficking and child exploitation coordinator, other staff members, and an FBI agent.
According to Bensky, Blanche responded to their inquiries with defensive, semantic arguments and refused to commit to investigating any of the specific leads they provided regarding Epstein’s associates. She felt his demeanor mirrored that of a defense attorney—a role he previously held for President Trump in multiple criminal cases. “That is at the core of what survivors have been feeling is that he will always protect his own and the administration’s reputational harm,” Bensky said. She noted that the tone of the meeting felt as though Blanche was impatient for the women to reach their point.
The Justice Department, through a statement provided by Serano, defended the meeting, asserting that Blanche was “direct with survivors about how the criminal investigation process works and what was required to build and pursue a criminal case.” Serano added that FBI agents were present to follow up on cases and that every attendee was provided with direct contact information for a senior DOJ leader. She maintained that the department is “determined to bring justice for all victims of human trafficking and sex crimes.”
However, the survivors disputed the effectiveness of this approach. Lara Blume McGee, a 47-year-old survivor from Arkansas, noted that the women had already engaged with the FBI previously. She cited the 1996 complaint filed by Maria Farmer, which alleged that Epstein moved child sexual abuse material from Ohio to New York. McGee stated that Blanche effectively disregarded their prior efforts, telling them to “go back to the FBI and start all over again.”
A major point of contention was whether Blanche had actually read the documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a project he oversaw as deputy attorney general. When the group pressed him on the matter, Bensky said he “basically put it back on us,” citing the massive volume of the 3 million files. When they asked if he had read any of them, he reportedly pivoted without providing a clear answer. Stein, whose own name was exposed in a document identifying her as a victim, argued that the department’s focus appeared to be solely on redactions rather than investigative leads. “People who were laying eyes on them were only laying eyes on them to make redactions and not look at any investigative leads, and that feels like an enormous waste of time and manpower,” Stein said.
The survivors remain universally opposed to Blanche’s confirmation. They are hopeful that if all Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee vote against him, and two Republicans join them, his nomination could be blocked. While it remains unclear if a vote will occur before 2027, the survivors are continuing their advocacy. “We’ve been meeting with parties on both sides … and they’re going to stand on the right side of history,” McGee said. Stein indicated that while they remain open to working with the Justice Department in good faith, she would not participate in any further “performative” meetings.
