Dear Senator Tillis, please read before confirming Blanche as AG

Dear Senator Tillis,

As survivors of sex trafficking, advocates for victims and constituents, we write to urge you to oppose the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general and vote no on his nomination.

The attorney general occupies a singular role in our constitutional system. The nation’s chief law enforcement officer must exercise independent judgment, follow the facts wherever they lead, and administer justice without fear, favor or political influence. Mr. Blanche’s handling of matters related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and failure to protect crime victims raises serious concerns that he has failed to meet that standard.

The department’s handling of the Epstein files raises profound concerns about Mr. Blanche’s independence. According to multiple FBI and DOJ whistleblowers who participated in the review, more than 1,000 personnel were assigned to examine and redact the files, and reviewers were trained to identify and redact references to President Trump. Following litigation under the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI acknowledged the existence of those training materials. As scrutiny of the department’s actions mounted, Mr. Blanche also participated in a White House Situation Room meeting regarding the Epstein matter before personally interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell. Within days of that interview, Maxwell was transferred from a low-security prison to a minimum-security federal prison camp, while survivors continued to wait for transparency and accountability. These actions reflect a department more focused on protecting political interests than pursuing equal justice under the law.

Under Mr. Blanche’s leadership, the Department of Justice released records containing significant redaction failures that exposed crime victims’ names and identifying information while continuing to withhold key information about alleged perpetrators and other powerful individuals. Survivors and their attorneys repeatedly warned the department of these risks, yet the identities of many survivors of the abuses of Epstein and his associates were disclosed anyway, causing profound and preventable harm. Those failures reflected a troubling disregard for the very people the department is obligated to protect.

At the same time, the department appeared intent on bringing the Epstein matter to a close despite unresolved investigative questions, outstanding leads and millions of pages of records that remain undisclosed. More than 1,000 victims have been identified in one of the largest sex trafficking operations in American history, yet only two individuals have been held criminally accountable. Survivors have continued to come forward, provide information and request further investigation, only to see their concerns met with inaction.

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified that Mr. Blanche oversaw the department’s review of the Epstein files. The exposure of survivors’ identities, the failure to pursue transparency, and the appearance that political considerations shaped key decisions all occurred under his watch.

These are not merely management failures — they go directly to the independence and impartiality required of the nation’s highest law enforcement official.

For survivors of sex trafficking, these failures carry real consequences. Every decision that places political interests above truth, transparency and accountability further erodes crime victims’ confidence that the justice system will protect them when they come forward.

Confirming Mr. Blanche despite these serious concerns would send a devastating message that independence is optional, that survivors’ voices can be disregarded, and that those entrusted with administering justice need not be accountable when they fail.

Crime victims in North Carolina and across the country deserve an attorney general whose allegiance is to the rule of law alone. Based on Mr. Blanche’s record, we do not believe he has demonstrated the independence required for that office.

For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to vote no on Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general.

Sincerely,

31 anti-sex trafficking advocates and survivors from North Carolina