[0:00]The central question of today's hearing was not what Trump wants, but what Republicans do. Senate Republicans let Blanche off the
[0:10]hook. That is disgraceful. Todd Blanche spent his confirmation hearing doing what he always does, defending the indefensible.
[0:21]He really tried to claim that this administration has been transparent about the Epstein investigation. Transparent? Blanche doesn't get to talk about transparency when he's still
[0:33]withholding 3 million pages of the Epstein files. Stop that transparency talk. >> [applause] >> Todd Blanche,
[0:44]where are the files? We are all waiting. All of America is waiting. All of America is waiting. Blanche isn't releasing the files cuz he
[0:54]knows his boss's name is written all over them. These survivors have already been through hell. And Blanche put them through it again with his mishandling of this investigation.
[1:06]How can we trust a word that comes out of Blanche's mouth when he's already lied to Congress under oath about the Epstein survivors? The only true thing Blanche said today
[1:17]was when he stated, "I'm his lawyer." referring to Donald Trump. That was about it. Blanche tried to correct himself, but that was an all-time Freudian slip. That's who he was.
[1:29]That's who he is. That's who he'll always be. Not an attorney general for the people of the United States. Not for equal justice for all.
[1:39]And where were the Republican senators today? They did not speak up. Why didn't they speak up? We should be doing everything in our power
[1:49]to support Epstein's victims and prevent the abuse they experienced from happen from this happening to anyone else. This is These survivors deserve their
[1:59]day in court, which is why I introduced Virginia's law to eliminate the statute of limitations that protects that protects abusers like Epstein. Every single Republican ought to support
[2:10]Virginia's law. Instead, Senate Republicans are bending over backwards to hand DOJ over to Trump's personal lawyer, who masterminded Trump's corrupt MAGA slush fund, arranged Trump's sweetheart deal
[2:21]with the IRS, and undermined the investigation of Epstein. The American people don't trust Todd Blanche, and neither should Senate Republicans. These survivors know better than anyone
[2:33]else. Anyone else. How dangerous it is to let someone like Blanche become Attorney General. I thank them for sharing their stories, and as I
[2:44]said, for their courage, and I thank Senator Durbin and everybody else for indulging me. >> [applause] [clears throat]
[2:59]>> I thank everyone else I thank Senator Schumer for joining us, and especially thank uh the people who really make make the difference. I Their arrival and participation in
[3:11]today's committee hearing was the first issue that I raised with Todd Blanche. What I was looking for was the word yes. I asked him over and over, "Will you
[3:20]meet with them? In 30 days, will you get this done finally?" Baloney is all I got back from him. "Oh, they they may have a lawyer. If they have a lawyer, that's a problem." That
[3:31]That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. For those of us who practice law, it's not unusual at all for a client to have a lawyer by their side and the Department of Justice to have their own attorneys in a room. What is the big deal?
[3:43]What was going on there? If he listened, if he took a listen to what Blanche had to say, >> [clears throat] >> he at one point said, "Will the president sign this bill?" As if he wanted to. The reason this bill
[3:55]was introduced, forced through the house, remember took a special election to pass it in the house, and then to pass in the Senate because no one wanted to be on the record at that point.
[4:05]Took all that effort because the administration and the president and Blanche were resisting us every step of the way. And they were resisting us because there's something in those files they
[4:16]don't want America to see. That's what it boils down to. And we know what it is. It involves some people that will be embarrassment to them. Well, we pushed it today and I think
[4:27]very publicly and I hope it is reported. I thank those survivors who were here as as sitting in the audience who witnessed this display by Todd Blanche.
[4:38]I agree completely with Senator Schumer, Blanche is first and foremost this president's personal attorney. And this president has clearly sent the message out he does not want full disclosure of
[4:48]what this investigation determined. Well, we're not going to quit until we can put the pressure on and get that job done. I've got a colleague in the on this committee who is excellent, good friend, and I'm glad he's joining us, Peter
[5:00]Welch from Vermont. Peter. >> Uh thank you. >> [applause] >> I'm going to make a clothing comment. I love your t-shirts.
[5:12]It says it all. I was trying to figure out but it's all the redacted stuff in there. So, it really good does send a good message. Uh the other thing, you know, this is a depressing day in some respects. We
[5:22]spent hours getting no answers uh from a person whose main qualification is that whatever it is the president wants him to do, he will do. Um and whatever it is the American
[5:34]people necessarily are entitled to have your attorney general do, he will not do. But, it's an uplifting day. I can't tell you what it's like for me to come in and
[5:44]meet all of you. I mean I'm in the I'm in the Senate side. I haven't been involved in the in the combat that you've been involved with, but I've been following it. I've talked to colleagues. I've been reading
[5:55]about it. I've been horrified about it. But this is the first time I've been in the room with real Epstein survivors and with real
[6:05]supporters of the survivors. And it's so inspiring that you have seized control of your future, that you've come from a situation where
[6:16]you were isolated, where what you suffered you had to suffer alone, where it was not really possible for you to talk about it or share it. It was not that you had people around who could be
[6:28]empathetic or understanding, where you had to go through this whole period of time where it was your fault, and where you had to go through this whole period of time when are you
[6:38]exaggerating, where you had to go through this whole period of time that there was a potential denial or disregard or non-response.
[6:49]And each of you individually had to somehow find a way to find others who did understand. And then you had to go through that incredible effort in the house to get
[7:01]some champions over there. And to get others who took seriously well what did happen, where actually you could be heard. And isn't that something all of us need
[7:12]in life to be heard, to be seen for who we are, and not to be defined as some victim? Cuz what you're doing is defining
[7:22]yourselves as powerful people with agency who working together can live that wonderful good life that all of us aspire to. So, I just want to express to
[7:33]you as a citizen my incredible appreciation for the for the courage you've done, the empathy you have for each other, and the mutual support you've provided. It is an
[7:45]inspiration uh to all of us. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> I think this list has probably changed a
[7:56]few times. I want to make sure it's still >> It has, but Andrea is first. >> Andrea. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Good afternoon, everyone.
[8:06]My name is Andrea Sterling, and I'm a Jeffrey Epstein survivor. In most sexual abuse cases, people don't get to know the predator, the files, or
[8:16]all his victims. Yet, the entire globe has access to the Jeffrey Epstein files, billions of people, and yet we still haven't got any answer.
[8:27]Not millions of people, billions of people. And speaking of billions, how does the DOJ prioritizes taking billions from Americans to put
[8:37]Trump's name all over the US, reminding us survivors that his egotistical projects are a priority over the victims from poverty, victims from war, victims
[8:48]from ICE, and victims from the Epstein files? How does that represent justice? My mom brought me to the US when I was underage, and I remember little by
[9:00]little falling in love with the American culture. >> [clears throat] >> The American culture is beautiful. Americans are hard workers, sharp,
[9:11]resilient, innovative, and have a strong sense of just sense of justice. Or at least, that's what I thought. What happened? What happened with the to the
[9:22]United States? The United States today is a chaotic place, not a peaceful one, unless you live in a bubble. As an American and Jeffrey Epstein survivor, I wouldn't
[9:33]want Todd Blanche to represent the justice of this country. Todd Blanche This is a message like directly to Todd Blanche. Todd Blanche, don't take that
[9:44]position as general attorney of the US. That role requires clear answers that you haven't been able to give and that role requires a lot of pressure and
[9:55]connection from normal people. I think you're clearly great at representing powerful figures, but not us. Normal American civilians. We urge
[10:06]Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn to vote no on his confirmation as Attorney General. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Is Jenna Lisa [clears throat]
[10:21]>> Well, Jenna Lisa's not here and Ashley R. Bright's not going to speak. I'm Laura Bloom McGee. I just now said it really fast. Laura Bloom McGee. And first I want to say a
[10:31]couple of things. Thank you to World WE. Without you guys, we couldn't do this. So, thank you so much. And >> [applause] >> my sisters and my brother, thank you. I
[10:42]love you guys so much. So, I went public in November of 25 and without them, we are we are so much stronger together and I'm so happy to walk this journey with them. Jeffrey
[10:53]Epstein and those who enabled him stole [clears throat] pieces of our lives. We have spent years surviving the unspeakable, rebuilding, healing, and fighting to be seen.
[11:05]Our lives, our safety, and our dignity are dignity are at stake. We oppose the confirmation of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the
[11:16]permanent Attorney General of the United States. Under Mr. Blanche's watch, the Department of Justice has released materials tied to the
[11:26]Epstein investigation in ways that expose survivors' names, medical and financial details, and other identifying information
[11:36]that should have been protected. For many of us, the DOJ's redactions were not merely inadequate. They were another violation, reopening wounds we had fought to keep closed.
[11:48]We are also alarmed that key investigative leads appear to have been dismissed. Files about Epstein's properties, associates, and networks have not been
[11:59]transparently accounted for in a way that accountability is being pursued. We deserve a complete, unflinching investigation into every person and
[12:11]place connected to these crimes, not a selective release shaped to shape to limi- limit political damage. These failures cannot be separated from
[12:21]Mr. Blanche's prior work and political ties. Before the DOJ, he represented powerful clients and moved in influential circles. Reports that he attended a meeting in
[12:32]the situation room about managing the fallout from these releases force us to ask, whose interests are being protected? Ours or those of the powerful who fear
[12:43]exposure? Mr. Blanche said he would meet with survivors. Well, we are here in Washington, D.C., and we are ready to meet. Today, you were quoted saying, and
[12:55]asked if you were Donald Trump's friend, you responded and misspoke, "I'm his lawyer." Hear this now from the people whose lives you would be sworn to protect. You are the American people's
[13:05]lawyer. The attorney general must be someone who's committed to victims and to the rule of law is unmistakable. Confirming Mr. Blanche now would further
[13:17]erode the fragile trust survivors have in a system meant to protect us. We, therefore, call on the Senate Judiciary Committee and every senator
[13:27]who values justice to vote against confirming Todd Blanche as the Attorney General. We have carried this trauma for far too long. We will not bear this additional
[13:38]burden of a Justice Department that fails to protect survivors. This is not political rhetoric. It is a plea for basic decency and for a justice
[13:49]system that listens to its most vulnerable. To every senator, and especially Tillis and Cornyn preparing to vote, listen to us. Please listen to us. Do not let the
[14:00]interest of wealthy and powerful stand between survivors and the justice that we are all owed. We will keep speaking. We will keep organizing and holding accountable anyone who stands in the way
[14:12]of truth. Today, we ask you to do your part. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Danny. >> Okay. Yeah.
[14:24]We're good. Yeah. Okay. [clears throat] Hi, everybody. I'm Danny Bensky. I'm going to just riff this a little bit. Um So, I also had the same line that
[14:35]Senator Schumer said. So, he stole what I had to say already, which was that uh that the only thing that we can say for certain is that Donald Trump or that Todd Blanche is
[14:46]Donald Trump's lawyer. We corrected it to was, but we all know. And um I think, you know, we have asked to meet with Todd Blanche repeatedly. Survivors were asking
[14:57]immediately once we found out that Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to meet with him. Um and we have never heard anything. There was never even a moment of um
[15:09]you can talk to a lawyer or you can talk through this nonprofit. There was never anything. And that radio silence is deafening. Um he said today that there were no other men.
[15:20]Um and we know that to not be true. We were in a meeting with Chairman Comer recently and he he literally made two referrals in the last couple of weeks.
[15:30]Um, so we know that that there there is so much information. We've been saying it, we've been screaming it. There is so much information in the files. Um, everybody loves to say name the names.
[15:40]We have name the names in rooms all over Congress. We have name the names on national television. We did a filibuster at the reading room with redacted files all around us. We have
[15:51]done everything we know how to do. Um, our government needs to take this seriously and when he is saying things like that there were participants and that
[16:02]um, victims might be the perpetrators. Like I hear a lot of blame being put back back on the victim and crimes not being taken seriously. So our AG needs
[16:12]to do better than that for us. Um, his record has shown time and time again that he's prioritizing mitigating um, reputational harm over protecting
[16:23]American victims. And we're all victims of crimes here. So he needs to do better. So thank you. >> Thank you, Annie. >> [applause] >> Hi everyone. My name is Jess Michaels.
[16:40]I'm a 1991 Jeffrey Epstein survivor. One of the main reasons I ever tell my story is because no one is talking about the '90s. And I just have
[16:50]a short story for you. It's about an investigation that's gone on for 20 plus years
[17:00]with so much evidence that additional agencies like the DEA came in with a task force that titled this case the Epstein Crime
[17:11]Network. 20 years millions of taxpayer dollars. Literal cartel hunters entered the chat.
[17:26]And Todd Blanche, math, Blanche math, would say that was for two people. Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
[17:37]20 years, 6 million files, multiple agencies, millions of dollars in taxpayer money.
[17:49]And that was for two people. If any senator votes yes
[17:58]on Todd Blanche for Attorney General, they're signing off on Blanche math. The last thing I want to say is that if all of this is happening while the whole
[18:10]world is watching, what's happening when no one's looking? >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Uh my name is Sky Roberts, and I am the
[18:28]brother of Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Uh if Virginia were here today, I believe she would be appalled by what we are witnessing.
[18:39]From where my family stands, it appears this administration, and Todd Blanche in particular, is helping shield the truth instead of pursuing it. Survivors deserve transparency,
[18:49]accountability, and justice. They deserve leaders who are willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads. Let's remember what we already know.
[18:59]Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking minors. Sex trafficking. That raises an obvious question. Who were those children trafficked to?
[19:11]Survivors and the American people deserve answers, not silence. We are also deeply concerned that the only active investigation in the United States in these matters is being impeded
[19:23]by a lack of cooperation with the New Mexico Attorney General's office. I think every American should stop and ask themselves a simple question. Why?
[19:35]If the goal is justice, if the goal is identifying everyone responsible for exploiting children, why wouldn't you cooperate? Morally, why wouldn't you do everything
[19:46]possible to help investigators uncover the truth and hold every perpetrator accountable? So, when I ask, is this someone we want as the Attorney General of the United States,
[19:57]I'm not just asking about qualifications. I'm asking about character. I'm asking about moral leadership. Because the Attorney General's first
[20:07]duty should be to pursue justice, not to stand in the way of it. And when people refuse to cooperate with the only active investigation into one of the largest sex trafficking
[20:18]operations in modern history, it naturally raises questions. Todd Blanche, if there are truly no investigated investigative leads, I
[20:28]implore you to read Virginia's under oath deposition and review the names that she named. She wasn't only trafficked to Ghislaine and Epstein.
[20:40]She was trafficked to some of the world's most rich and powerful. The ones you continue to defend by participating in this cover-up. Plainly put, this is not a Democrat hoax. My
[20:52]sister and these survivors are not a hoax. Virginia once wrote in Nobody's Girl, I hope for a world in which predators are punished, not protected.
[21:03]Victims are treated with compassion, not shamed, and powerful people face the same consequences as anyone else. I yearn too for a world in which perpetrators face more shame than their
[21:14]victims do. Those words were not written out of anger, they were written out of hope. We don't live in that world yet, and if Todd Blanche is confirmed, I fear it will send a message to survivors that
[21:26]once again the rich and powerful are treated differently while those seeking truth are waiting for justice. My sister spent her life fighting so that no survivor would have
[21:37]to stand alone. We owe it to her and to every survivor to keep asking the questions that still haven't been answered and to ensure that justice is never determined by power or
[21:47]privilege or how many zeros are at the end of your bank account. Thank you. >> [applause] >> My name is Amanda Roberts and I am the
[22:01]sister-in-law of Virginia Roberts Giuffre. And I want to say that the feeling in the room was palpable.
[22:11]There were many moments where each of us turned to each other and couldn't believe the remarks that were coming out of the man who wishes to be the Attorney General of the United
[22:23]States. He has made it very clear who he's here to protect and it is the rich and powerful. I want to speak directly to the American
[22:33]people. This is about corruption. It isn't just about a singular instance of abuse. It is about
[22:44]choosing who our leadership is, what direction our nation will be headed in if we decide to choose a former
[22:53]prosecutor who has looked at the largest investigation against sex trafficking and said that there is nothing to see here. That speaks directly to his
[23:04]incompetence or unwillingness. I would implore the senators who are sitting down and maybe wavering on their decision. I would ask that you
[23:16]think of your family. I would ask that you think of your children, your sisters, your mothers, your aunts.
[23:26]What would you want for them? Would you want a weak attorney who says, "No, they will not prosecute because the people who have harmed them
[23:36]are rich and powerful." Is that what you would want for them? What you want for your family should be what you would want for the American people. Thank you.
[23:47]>> [applause] >> Good afternoon.
[23:56]My name is Charlene Rochelle and I'm here today not just as an Epstein survivor, but as a mother,
[24:06]a legislative advocate, and a woman who is advocating for justice that should have never been delayed and mishandled. And that is why I'm asking the United
[24:17]States Senate to oppose the nomination of Todd Blanche as Attorney General. Under Todd Blanche's leadership as acting Deputy Attorney General, trust
[24:29]was broken when my identity was exposed. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly stated that Todd Blanche
[24:41]oversaw the DOJ's work on the Epstein files. That wasn't a simple mistake. That was a failure that put me and other
[24:50]survivors at risk. I believe I'm speaking for all survivors here. we are deeply frustrated.
[25:00]And I feel that frustration boiling over personally as I consider the fact that Todd Blanche chose to hold private high-level meetings with associates of
[25:11]Ghislaine Maxwell, meetings that happened quietly and behind closed doors. That is not how justice should be handled. To us, that feels like a
[25:21]personal insult. It feels like betrayal. And it is more than deeply troubling that Todd Blanche was in the situation
[25:31]room while the Epstein files were treated like a public relations problem instead of a pursuit of justice. During Blanche's oversight, the release
[25:41]of the Epstein materials was marked by some deeply questionable legal choices, over-redacting conspirators co-conspirators, withholding grand jury
[25:52]documents, refusing meaningful transparency, and releasing files that expose survivors' identities. These are real harms with real
[26:03]consequences. And when you add the conflict of interest that Todd Blanche brings with his past role defending Donald Trump,
[26:13]someone who was publicly connected to Jeffrey Epstein for years, the picture becomes even clearer. The Attorney General decision should be based on ethics, trust, and the
[26:25]integrity of the justice system. If someone has defended a powerful associate of Epstein, how can survivors believe he will aggressively pursue
[26:36]justice against Epstein's network? Let me tell you, we don't. So, the question before the Senate is simple.
[26:48]Has Todd Blanche earned the trust required to lead the Department of Justice? For me personally, the answer is going to be a hard no.
[26:59]And for Americans who expect transparency, accountability, and courage from their Attorney General, the answer should also be no.
[27:09]Maya Angelou warned us, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Todd Blanche has shown us who he is through private meetings with
[27:20]co-conspirators, through flawed and harmful document releases, through decisions that expose survivors, through refusals to meet with victims, and through conflicts of interest that
[27:30]cannot be ignored. We have to believe what he's showing us. So today, I'm asking the United States Senate,
[27:41]and truly, I'm asking the country to choose a different path. We cannot afford to place the highest law enforcement office in the hands of
[27:53]someone whose record has already damaged public trust and harmed survivors. We cannot afford to repeat history when we have every
[28:04]opportunity to learn from it. Reject his nomination. Reject conflicts of interest. Reject the
[28:15]the mishandling of survivor justice. Please, choose accountability and leadership that honors the people it's meant to
[28:24]protect, which is you. We, the people, deserve better. The Department of Justice deserves better.
[28:36]Todd Blanche has shown us who he is. Now the Senate must decide who we are. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hi everyone. Wow, it's very
[28:51][clears throat] hot in here. Woo, I got to say. Um >> [laughter] [gasps] >> Well, um my name is Marina Lacerda and I think some of you may know my story, but I was 3 months away
[29:02]from turning 14 years old when I met Jeffrey Epstein. I was just a child. Jeffrey not only abused me, not only used me, not only manipulated me,
[29:13]and raped me, but he also dehumanized me in front of other survivors. And that was very difficult for me to accept as an adult today. This was [snorts] the worst period of my
[29:24]life and because of Todd Blanche, I am forced to relive it again. I finally broke my silence in September 2025. I decided to speak out and when I did,
[29:36]my survivor sisters and my brother uh and I stood together. We helped pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. More was like they had
[29:47]to do it. Um and under Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche, some of the files were released in accordance with the law.
[29:56]However, they were released without any regard for the survivors. My name was exposed, but so were my phone number, home address, and other personal information. This happened
[30:08]because Todd Blanche failed to properly protect me along with many survivors. I had to change the name on my property, purchase a gun, tint all my windows, and
[30:20]install additional security inside and outside my home. People in my community, my daughter's school, and my daughter's friends started to learn what had happened to me. Blanche has said repeatedly that
[30:31]Ghislaine Maxwell has moved to a lower security prison due to threats to her safety. After the exposure of our private information in the file release, it is
[30:42]my survivor sister and I whose safety was at risk. If those threats were enough to justify Mr. Blanche meeting with the convicted
[30:52]criminal like Ghislaine Maxwell, then shouldn't they also be enough for him to meet with us? Not our attorneys. Us. That's who he needs to meet with.
[31:04]The attorney The attorney Sorry. The attorney general is entrusted with protecting the American people from criminals and predators. Confirming Todd Blanche, despite his
[31:14]failure to protect us as survivors of Epstein and his co-conspirators, sends a terrifying message to survivors of sex crimes across the country
[31:26]that they will not be heard or protected, and their abusers will not be held accountable. Senators Tillis and Cornyn, vote no on Todd Blanche.
[31:37]Thank you, everybody. >> [applause] >> Sure. We can. >> If the press has any questions, we'll
[31:47]take them. Anyone? Well, let me If not, let me just say thank you for coming.
[31:56]Especially thank you to the survivors. Amazing act of courage to stand up here and tell their story. I'm sure that a lot of tears and pain
[32:08]preceded this decision. But it's important not just for you and those who are here, but for victims around the United States and the world who have no one to speak for them and
[32:19]who live in fear of disclosure. I hope that we can do the right thing. I've been in the Senate and the House for a number of years. This vote on Todd Blanche is a
[32:30]referendum on the morality of this country and the real caring of the American people for those who have been victimized. To my colleagues,
[32:40]stand up. Say no to Todd Blanche. Let's move to a better place. Thank you. >> [applause]