Nomination of Todd Blanche (Executive Calendar)

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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.

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