Republican Senator Says Blanche Must Meet Epstein's Accusers To Earn His Vote For Attorney General

WASHINGTON — A Republican legislator whose support will beryllium basal to beforehand Todd Blanche’s information for lawyer wide said Thursday that Blanche must meet pinch accusers of convicted activity offender Jeffrey Epstein to gain his vote.

Sen. Thom Tillis had indicated during Blanche’s confirmation proceeding Wednesday that he was leaning toward backing nan acting lawyer general’s nomination. But aft an Epstein accuser testified a time later, Tillis said he expects a gathering to hap earlier he’s “willing to ballot retired of this committee.”

Epstein’s lawsuit and nan Justice Department’s handling of millions of files related to his activity trafficking investigation person been a persistent governmental headache for nan Trump administration.

After missteps by then-Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi that enraged President Trump’s base, Blanche arsenic lawman lawyer wide oversaw a monolithic reappraisal and merchandise of millions of files related to nan investigation into nan disgraced financier pinch connections to able and powerful people.

Shortly aft Tillis’ remarks, Blanche arrived astatine a Senate agency building, wherever Blanche told reporters he had hoped to meet pinch Epstein accusers but “it didn’t activity out.” Blanche said they were trying to find different clip later Thursday aliases different time to schedule nan meeting.

“The Department of Justice will ever meet pinch victims aliases their representatives, and if those victims aliases their representatives person grounds that anybody committed a crime — whether it has to do pinch Jeffrey Epstein aliases anybody other — we will of people move guardant and analyse and prosecute,” Blanche said.

Without Tillis’ support, Blanche’s information won’t make it done nan Senate Judiciary Committee, which questioned Blanche for hours connected Wednesday astir nan Epstein files arsenic good arsenic nan creation of a money to compensate Trump’s allies, a taxation immunity woody for nan president and a slew of different issues.

Another Republican connected nan committee who says he has not made up his mind connected whether to support Blanche, Sen. John Cornyn, conveyed concerns that nan Trump management has yet to perpetrate successful penning that nan money is dormant and that it could truthful conceivably beryllium resurrected.

One Epstein accuser, Dani Bensky, told lawmakers earlier Thursday that women harmed by Epstein many times asked to meet pinch Blanche “through aggregate channels and he ne'er responded.”

“We merit to beryllium heard directly, not dismissed and ignored,” Bensky said.

Blanche has pushed backmost connected suggestions that nan Justice Department has been dismissive of nan precocious financier’s accusers, saying Wednesday that officials person spoken pinch much than 30 representatives of nan women complete nan people of its sweeping reappraisal of nan files.

Blanche has besides defended nan department’s staggered merchandise of nan Epstein files, a process beset by problems, including redaction errors that near exposed nude photos showing nan faces of imaginable victims.

Blanche said during his confirmation proceeding Wednesday that he takes work for mistakes that were made, but noted that section lawyers were fixed a “herculean task” to quickly reappraisal millions of files for release. Blanche said section lawyers took pains to protect nan women involved, and quickly fixed immoderate errors that were found.

“I americium sorry that successful astir 1% of nan documents, mistakes were made,” Blanche said Wednesday. “But what I will opportunity connected apical of that is we put tons of resources to rectifying those mistakes immediately, including pulling down documents wrong minutes of being informed that location were mistakes.”

The governmental firestorm complete nan Epstein files dogged nan Trump management for overmuch of past year, pinch lawmakers yet passing a measurement that compelled nan merchandise of a monolithic trove of documents successful nan government’s possession related to its investigation.

The Justice Department began releasing nan documents successful precocious December, which included photos, telephone logs, expansive assemblage grounds and question and reply transcripts. The merchandise did small to tamp down skepticism from conspiracy theorists and online sleuths, who person agelong pushed allegations of a authorities cover-up, without evidence.

Richer and Cappelletti constitute for nan Associated Press.