Blanche meets with Epstein’s accusers after the Republican senator’s crucial request for confirmation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met Thursday with accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after a request from the Republican senator whose support is crucial to advancing his nomination to lead the Justice Department.

He watches: Tillis says he will not vote to confirm Blanche unless the nominee meets with Epstein survivors

Blanche spent about an hour at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington with the group of Epstein’s accusers, who criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the investigation into the disgraced financier and a trove of files related to the sex trafficking case.

After the meeting, Blanche told reporters that he encouraged the accusers to come to the FBI with any information that could help investigators build cases against additional figures linked to Epstein.

He watches: Senators question Blanche about Trump’s loyalty, the January 6 cases, and the Epstein files

But Blanche acknowledged that he could not assure them that additional trials would be possible. The Justice Department has repeatedly said it will investigate further if new information emerges, but the government currently has no evidence to support prosecutions against others in Epstein’s orbit.

He watches: Blanche says the FBI and Justice Department have no evidence that Epstein trafficked women to other men

“It wasn’t exactly amicable,” Blanche said of Thursday’s meeting. “Because there’s something they want that I don’t think I can give them, which is some form of justice. And I want to be able to get justice in the form of prosecutions, and maybe we can have a trial at some point,” Blanche said.

But Blanche added: “I don’t know.”

Read more: 3 key takeaways from Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing

The political storm over Epstein has been an ongoing headache for the Trump administration, which has released millions of investigative documents over the past year in response to right-wing demands for answers about the disgraced financier’s crimes and his ties to prominent people.

One of the accused is disappointed in meeting Blanche

One of the accusers, Danny Pinsky, expressed frustration after the meeting, saying Blanche appeared to treat the meeting as “merely a ‘box-checking’ exercise intended to secure votes to confirm him.”

“He minced words, repeatedly interrupted us, and was unable to commit to anything that would show good faith or begin to restore trust,” she said in an email statement. She said Blanche did not provide a “credible plan to investigate and pursue accountability” unlike Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who were convicted of enticing teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein.

Earlier Thursday, Pinsky told lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee that women harmed by Epstein repeatedly asked to meet with Blanche “through multiple channels and he never responded.”

He watches: Epstein survivor Danny Pinsky says Blanche never responded to them in the opening statement

Watch Bensky’s full opening statement in the player above.

“We deserve to be heard directly, not rejected and ignored,” Pinsky said.

Blanche rejected suggestions that the Justice Department dismissed Epstein’s accusers, saying officials spoke with more than 30 representatives of the women during their comprehensive review of the files.

“The Department of Justice will always meet with victims or their representatives, and if those victims or their representatives have evidence that anyone committed a crime — whether it involves Jeffrey Epstein or anyone else — we will of course move forward and investigate and prosecute,” Blanche told reporters.

Blanche needs key Republican support to be confirmed

The meeting came hours after Republican Senator Thom Tillis said that had to happen before Blanche could get his vote.

Without Tillis’ support, Blanche’s nomination would not have made it through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which grilled Blanche for hours Wednesday about the Epstein files as well as the creation of a fund to compensate allies of President Donald Trump, the president’s tax immunity deal and a slew of other issues.

Another Republican, Sen. John Cornyn, also expressed concern about the fund and said he was undecided about his vote.

He watches: Senator Cornyn questions Blanche at her attorney general confirmation hearing

Tillis indicated during Blanche’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he was leaning toward supporting Blanche, who has been leading the department in an acting capacity since April. But after lawmakers heard Pinsky’s testimony, Tillis said he expected a meeting between the victims and Blanche before he would be “willing to vote out of this committee.”

Tillis later Thursday praised Blanche for holding the meeting, writing in a social media post: “I appreciate his willingness to engage directly and listen to them.”

After mistakes by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi angered Trump’s base, Blanche as deputy attorney general oversaw a wide-ranging review and release of millions of files related to the Epstein investigation. The case has captured the attention of Internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists for years, in part because of Epstein’s ties to other powerful individuals.

Blanche also defended the department’s staggered release of the Epstein files, a process plagued by problems, including redaction errors that left exposed nude photos showing the faces of potential victims.

He watches: Blanche defends his handling of Epstein files

Blanche said during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he takes responsibility for the mistakes made, but noted that department lawyers have been given the “herculean task” of quickly reviewing millions of files for release. Blanche said the department’s lawyers did their best to protect the women involved, and quickly fixed any errors found.

“I’m sorry that there was an error in about 1% of the documents,” Blanche said on Wednesday. “But what I will say beyond that is that we devote a lot of resources to correcting those errors immediately, including pulling documents within minutes of being notified of errors.”