An Epstein survivor has accused acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche of dismissing victims' appeals for further investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, saying she and other survivors were 'gaslit' during a meeting held last week.
Jess Michaels made the allegation during an interview on Saturday, claiming Blanche repeatedly insisted that nothing contained in the Justice Department's Epstein files could justify reopening or expanding investigations. Blanche has not publicly responded to Michaels' latest comments.
The meeting took place as Blanche seeks Senate confirmation to become attorney general on a permanent basis under President Donald Trump. It also followed months of criticism over the Justice Department's handling of records linked to the Epstein investigation after the department released millions of pages of documents earlier this year.
Several survivors have since argued that the publication process failed to adequately protect victims while raising questions about whether additional leads were left unexplored.
Todd Blanche Rejected Calls for Further Inquiry
Michaels described the meeting as frustrating, saying survivors repeatedly attempted to draw attention to information they believed deserved further examination.
'It felt like we were hitting a brick wall when we were trying to talk with him about "But what about this?" "But why can't you look at that?"' she said.
'You know, we were giving him information that he could have talked with us about, but we were gaslit, we were skipped over. It was frustrating, to say the least.'
According to Michaels, Blanche maintained throughout the discussion that material contained in the Justice Department's files relating to Epstein would not lead to further investigations.
She also questioned Blanche's reasons for agreeing to the meeting, suggesting he did so because he is seeking confirmation as attorney general.
Michaels claimed Blanche had initially told lawmakers he could not legally meet Epstein survivors and alleged that the meeting was first delegated to one of his assistants before he personally met with victims last Thursday.
'I mean, I think his attempt at empathy and compassion really came off as patronising and condescending,' Michaels said. 'So, I did not feel that he was a public servant there addressing crime victims that had experienced horrific abuse.'
Appearing on another interview on Friday, Michaels said she left the meeting 'disappointed, disturbed and undaunted'.
She added that survivors repeatedly explained the lasting harm they had suffered but felt those concerns were never acknowledged, again describing Blanche's approach as 'patronising'.
DOJ Continues to Face Scrutiny Over Epstein Files
The meeting came after sustained criticism of the Justice Department's handling of records connected to the Epstein investigation.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the department published what it described as the final tranche of Epstein-related files in January, adding around three million documents to a public database with redactions intended to protect survivors' identities.
The release nevertheless attracted criticism over delays and the way some documents were redacted.
Several Epstein survivors later alleged that the department had failed to properly redact parts of its online Epstein archive, raising concerns that victim privacy had not been sufficiently safeguarded.
Blanche agreed to meet survivors after pressure from Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whose vote is considered significant to Blanche's confirmation prospects. Tillis described the meeting as 'a very important part of getting to yes' on Blanche's nomination.
Earlier this week, Blanche acknowledged before the House Judiciary Committee that 'there were mistakes that were made' during the publication of the documents. He told lawmakers the Justice Department acted quickly to correct any redaction errors once they were identified.
Survivors continue to urge senators to reject Blanche's nomination, arguing the department's handling of the Epstein files has undermined confidence among victims seeking accountability. Michaels' criticism reflects those concerns, although Blanche has maintained that the department addressed issues surrounding the document release and, according to Michaels' account of their meeting, does not believe the existing files provide grounds for additional investigations.
