Epstein Survivor Criticizes AG Blanche's Demeanor in Meeting
WHO:
Alternet - Jess Michaels criticized Todd Blanche's treatment of Epstein victims, stating, "This seems par for the course."
ABC News - Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with accusers of Jeffrey Epstein.
PBS - Senate Judiciary Committee member Thom Tillis is involved in the confirmation process for Todd Blanche.
PBS - Epstein accuser Dani Bensky expressed frustration regarding the meeting with Blanche.
WHAT:
Alternet - Michaels reported that Blanche told victims they were "back on square one" regarding prosecuting Epstein's associates.
Alternet - Blanche advised victims to bring files and "point out to FBI agents" where they should start their investigations.
ABC News - Blanche spent about an hour at the Justice Department headquarters with Epstein accusers.
PBS - Blanche encouraged the accusers to provide information to the FBI to help build cases against additional figures tied to Epstein.
PBS - Blanche stated he could not assure the accusers that additional prosecutions could be brought.
PBS - Dani Bensky criticized Blanche's demeanor, calling it "abrasive, condescending" and described the meeting as a "check-the-box" exercise.
PBS - Blanche acknowledged mistakes in the release of Epstein files, stating that errors affected about 1% of the documents.
WHERE:
ABC News - The meeting took place at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington.
WHEN:
ABC News - The meeting occurred on a Thursday, following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
WHY:
Alternet - Michaels expressed disappointment in Blanche's lack of remorse for not meeting with victims prior to the requirement from Sen. Thom Tillis.
PBS - The meeting was required by Sen. Thom Tillis before he could vote for Blanche's confirmation as Attorney General.
HOW:
Alternet - U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan forced Blanche to open the files by siding with a lawsuit demanding adherence to the Epstein Transparency Act.
PBS - Blanche has been leading the Justice Department in an acting capacity since April.
PBS - The Justice Department has spoken with more than 30 representatives of Epstein's accusers during their review of the files.
(UPDATED July 18, 2026 00:13 UTC)
Jess Michaels has criticized Todd Blanche's treatment of Epstein victims, describing it as "par for the course," after he told them they were "back on square one" regarding the prosecution of Epstein's associates. Blanche also advised the victims to bring files and to "point out to FBI agents" where they should start their investigations, which left Michaels disappointed in his lack of remorse for not meeting with the victims before being required to do so by Senator Thom Tillis. This situation escalated when U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan sided with a lawsuit demanding adherence to the Epstein Transparency Act, forcing Blanche to open the files.
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(UPDATED July 17, 2026 22:22 UTC)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with accusers of Jeffrey Epstein at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, where he spent about an hour discussing their concerns. During the meeting, Blanche encouraged the accusers to provide information to the FBI to help build cases against others tied to Epstein, but he could not guarantee that additional prosecutions would follow. Dani Bensky, one of the accusers, criticized Blanche's demeanor as "abrasive" and described the meeting as merely a "check-the-box" exercise, while Blanche acknowledged that mistakes in the release of Epstein files had affected about 1% of the documents.