U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on his colleagues to oppose the nomination of Todd Blanche to be U.S. Attorney General during a speech on the Senate floor on July 21. Durbin referenced testimony from Dani Bensky, a survivor of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and others, who spoke before the committee about her experiences and concerns regarding the Justice Department’s handling of survivors’ information.
“A group of about a dozen Epstein survivors and their loved ones sat behind Dani when she testified. They were urging that the predators responsible for these horrific crimes be held accountable. Their stories are heartbreaking. But instead of helping them, the Trump Justice Department has retraumatized these survivors with its careless and cavalier attitude,” Durbin said. “When this Administration finally released information pertaining to Epstein’s trafficking ring after missing the Epstein Files Transparency Act deadline, many of these survivors’ personal identifying information became publicly available. These survivors, who have already suffered unspeakable abuses, were forced to relive their trauma as one of the most painful moments of their lives became public for anyone, including their friends, family, and coworkers, to see.”
Durbin continued, “When I asked Mr. Blanche on Wednesday if he would meet with these brave individuals, he responded with babble about lawyers and regulations. He wouldn’t just say ‘I’ll meet with the victims.’ It is unfortunate that to do the right thing it took the threat of one Republican Senator who said he would not support Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General unless he met with the survivors. Then, reluctantly, he did. You would think Mr. Blanche would go out of his way to meet with them, to apologize for the harm he caused these victims for the information that was disclosed, and to present them with a plan for changes going forward to protect victims while pursuing perpetrators. Instead, he arrived at the meeting ready to deny any blame from himself with little to no concern for the survivors according to the reports.”
Press reports described Mr. Blanche as dismissive in his meeting with survivors; those present compared speaking with him to “beating your head against a wall.” The impression left was that Mr. Blanche attended only because it was required and offered no indication that policies at the Justice Department would change regarding accountability or victim protection.
“Is this the man we want to confirm to be head of America’s premier law enforcement agency? With Mr. Blanche it is clear justice is secondary to loyalty,” Durbin said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee serves as a standing committee in Washington D.C., led by senators from both major political parties under an appointed chairperson; it oversees judicial nominations such as this one and exerts influence over constitutional protections nationwide through legislative review and federal law enforcement oversight responsibilities, according to its official website.