Amid the wait for Acting Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation vote for the role as head of the Department of Justice (DOJ), a group of victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein issued a statement condemning the vote in favor of the interim director.
“Today’s vote is a profound disappointment for Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors,” the coalition wrote.
Group Recounts Blanche's 'Failures'
“Todd Blanche has failed us at every step of the way. As the Justice Department official overseeing the Epstein files review, he allowed the release of survivors’ names, phone numbers and other deeply personal information, including nude images of children,” the group stated.
The group also called out Blanche for redacting “the identities of alleged abusers and others connected to Epstein’s trafficking network," taking part in “White House Situation Room meetings that treated the release of the Epstein files as a public relations problem,” relocating Epstein’s accomplice “Ghislaine Maxwell to a low-security prison,” and for his assurances that the DOJ will not pursue anymore prosecutions of those involved in Epstein’s operation.
In the statement, the group recalled meeting Blanche, pointing out that the interim AG disregarded the gravity of the situation and that the meeting was solely for political gain.
“When we met with Todd Blanche, he interrupted us. He told us to ‘get to the point.’ He told us to report what happened to us to the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation],” they wrote. “We already have. Some of us have been reporting these crimes for decades. This was a check-the-box meeting designed to secure Senator [Thom] Tillis’ vote (R-N.C.).”
The coalition affirmed that Sens. Tillis & John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) efforts to support the survivors were merely political theater.
Coalition Vows That They Will Continue To Fight
“The message was unmistakable: they wanted us to go away,” the group asserted, revealing that the lawmakers refused to meet with them before casting their vote for Blanche.
“We are not going away,” the group wrote.
“For decades, powerful people have counted on survivors staying silent. Today’s confirmation vote does not end our fight. It only strengthens our resolve,” they argued, confirming that they will continue to urge the Senate to reject Blanche’s nomination and will continue to seek the truth and accountability for Epstein’s crimes.
