U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin questioned President Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Todd Blanche, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on July 15. Durbin asked Blanche if he would personally meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse within the next 30 days, but Blanche did not commit to doing so.
“There are 10 individuals who were exploited and abused by Mr. Epstein [and they] are here today. None of them have had a chance to speak to anyone in the Department or FBI though they have asked repeatedly. Can I get your word under oath that within the next 30 days, you will personally sit down with these 10 victims and hear their case in terms of what needs to be done by the Department of Justice?” Durbin said.
Blanche responded, “I have somebody from my office who spent her entire career working on cases like Mr. Epstein’s… She’s available to talk to them.” When pressed further by Durbin about meeting directly with the survivors, Blanche said, “[i]f they have lawyers, I am prohibited from meeting directly with them.”
Durbin continued questioning Blanche about his willingness for transparency and noted that nothing prohibits a Department attorney from meeting represented parties if counsel is present or gives consent. “You are dancing on the head of a pin here… We have these survivors who have the courage to come before this Committee and tell their terrible stories of how they were exploited,” Durbin said.
The hearing also addressed other issues involving past handling of Epstein files by the Trump Administration and questions about President Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” settlement agreement with the IRS that provided immunity for tax law violations committed prior to May 19. The settlement document signed by Blanche stated that the United States “releases, waives, acquits, and forever discharges each of the plaintiffs” regarding tax liability. When asked whether such an exemption had precedent or could be explained to Americans subject to prosecution for tax violations, Blanche replied he was unsure if it had ever been done before for a president but insisted, “nobody is above the law.”
Durbin also questioned Blanche about blanket pardons issued by President Trump for January 6 rioters who assaulted law enforcement officers at the Capitol. In response, Blanche said that “the Constitution gives the president the full power to pardon anybody for any reason he wants.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee serves as a standing committee of the U.S. Senate based in Washington D.C., overseeing judicial nominations and legislation affecting constitutional protections and public safety nationwide, according to its official website.