Todd Blanche's path to attorney general has triggered alarm among Jeffrey Epstein survivors, who say his stewardship of the case signals a deliberate shutdown of ongoing pursuit for accountability. In a letter to Republican senators, survivors detailed what they characterize as a pattern of mismanagement: selective document disclosure that exposed victims' identities while shielding accused abusers, no prosecutions beyond Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell despite over 1,000 abuse victims, and what they describe as evasive exchanges with investigators.
The concern cuts deeper than one nomination. Trump promised during his campaign to release all Epstein files, fueling his base's convictions about a sprawling sex-trafficking network. Yet his administration released information only in dribs and drabs until Congress forced the issue after embarrassing gaps in disclosures. Blanche's prison visit to Maxwell last summer, followed by her transfer to a lower-security facility, compounded survivor skepticism about the justice department's intentions.
Legal experts see little comfort ahead. Bryan Sullivan, a partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae, predicted a Blanche confirmation would yield "more suppression and no active investigations" into Epstein's trafficking network. "I think it's because that's what Trump wants. He wants this to go away," Sullivan said, noting the recent firing of former attorney general Pam Bondi suggested Trump expected his DoJ chief to make the case disappear.
Prominent defense attorney Ron Kuby agreed. "It means that no other perpetrators will be held criminally liable for their misconduct," he said. "All the millionaires and billionaires and hangers-on in Epstein's orbit who enabled him have not been brought to justice, and they're not going to be."
Even rejection of Blanche's nomination offers little reprieve. Carl Tobias, the Williams chair in law at the University of Richmond School of Law, noted that Blanche could serve as acting attorney general for the remainder of Trump's term, preserving his control over the case regardless of Senate confirmation. "He'll have more power if he's formally confirmed, but he'll have plenty of power either way," Tobias said.
Survivors pursuing justice outside a resistant justice department face a grinding legal landscape. Freedom of Information Act requests followed by litigation over delayed responses represents one avenue, but attorneys cautioned the process stretches across years. Litigation against federal authorities for negligence in the original investigation,claiming government inaction enabled further abuse,proves exceptionally difficult to win in court, Kuby explained, because the law imposes no generalized duty to protect individuals without a special relationship to victims.
Not all survivors have surrendered hope. Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, co-founders of advocacy group Lift Our Voices, acknowledged the immediate setback but cited their movement's progress over the past decade in securing federal legislation against non-disclosure agreements and forced arbitration in workplace sexual misconduct cases. "Although it feels like we're in a bit of a setback if Todd Blanche is confirmed, I think there's always a way to find victory," Carlson said, noting that a midterm election could still produce allies for the cause.
The White House defended Blanche's handling, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson stating he "has done an excellent job as acting attorney general." A justice department statement claimed Blanche and senior officials recently met with survivors in a "productive, initial discussion" and encouraged victims to contact FBI investigators.
Author James Rodriguez: "Survivors had every right to sound the alarm. The pattern here isn't subtle, and neither should be the political pressure to stop it."
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