[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S4169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Todd Blanche

  Mr. President, on a separate topic, last week the Senate Judiciary 
Committee held a hearing that I will never forget. On the second day of 
Todd Blanche's nomination hearing to be Attorney General of the United 
States, the committee convened an outside panel of witnesses to discuss 
his fitness to serve in that office.
  I invited one of the witnesses. Her name was Dani Bensky, a young 
woman who is a dance teacher and a mother. She was a victim of Jeffrey 
Epstein. She was sexually abused by him when she was 17 years old.
  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.
  Instead of helping them, the Trump Justice Department has 
retraumatized these survivors with its careless and cavalier attitude. 
When this administration finally released information pertaining to 
Epstein's trafficking ring after missing the Epstein Files Transparency 
Act deadline, many of the survivors' personal identifying information 
became publicly available.
  These survivors already suffering unspeakable abuse 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.
  There was a time when the Department of Justice turned 1,000 
attorneys loose on the Epstein files to find any references to the 
President. They were so careful, they went through it page by page for 
millions of pages.
  And yet, when it came time to finally release the files, they were so 
slipshod and haphazard that they released the identities, the 
addresses, the telephone numbers, and even photographs of the Epstein 
victims.
  The victims of Epstein's abuse attended both days of the hearing to 
demand accountability from the man who oversaw that botched release of 
files that put private information online--Todd Blanche.
  They wanted the opportunity to speak with him to tell him their 
stories and to push him to hold the predators responsible for their 
abuse accountable.
  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 will meet with the victims.
  It was fortunate that he did 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 victims, for the information that 
they 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 for 
himself, with little or no concern for the survivors according to their 
reports. Those in the room described him as dismissive. They said that 
speaking with Mr. Blanche was like ``beating your head against the 
wall.''
  The impression that the victims had upon leaving the meeting was that 
Mr. Blanche was only there to check the box for his promotion; nothing 
was going to change.
  Is this the man we want to confirm to be head of the premium law 
enforcement Agency in America? With Mr. Blanche, it is clear that 
justice is secondary to loyalty to the President.
  Under Blanche, hundreds of FBI personnel were directed to troll 
through those Epstein files to find any mention of the President but 
could not exercise the same level of care to ensure victims' 
information remain protected.
  When pressed in an interview why more Epstein accomplices had not 
been charged, Blanche insisted ``it isn't a crime to party with Mr. 
Epstein.''
  Survivors deserve more than that type of flip comment. They deserve a 
DOJ committed to ensuring that it will never happen again. They deserve 
an Attorney General who treats them with respect and compassion.
  Mr. Blanche's behavior surrounding the Epstein investigation is just 
one of the many reasons he should not lead the Department of Justice. I 
urge my colleagues to oppose his nomination.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.