WATCH: Epstein survivor Dani Bensky says Blanche has never responded to them in opening statement

By — Maria Ramirez Uribe Maria Ramirez Uribe Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-epstein-survivor-dani-bensky-says-blanche-has-never-responded-to-them-in-opening-statement Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Epstein survivor Dani Bensky says Blanche has never responded to them in opening statement Politics Jul 16, 2026 12:00 PM EDT Dani Bensky, a survivor of abuse by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, asked other survivors to rise in a Senate hearing Thursday while they held up photos of their younger selves. Watch Bensky's full opening statement in the video player above. "I'd like to remind you of who you're hearing from today," Bensky said while testifying about the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on the second day of confirmation hearings. READ MORE: What Blanche said about Trump, Epstein files during confirmation hearing for attorney general She implored senators on the Judiciary Committee to "think about the girls in these photos," when casting their confirmation votes. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "We may look like grown adults when you see us now, but we were children, young girls at the time of our abuse," Bensky said. "These are the photos of when our innocence, dreams and lives were stolen." Bensky, who is a teacher and a mother, criticized Blanche's handling of the Justice Department's release of files related to Epstein. WATCH: Blanche defends his handling of Epstein files "Now look at our faces and remember the women and families of who the DOJ revictimized," she said. "Todd Blanche has been at the helm of the release of nude images of survivors, the outing of Jane Does and the exposure of more than 100 victims identifying information and documents describing horrific acts of abuse, including my own." Bensky said the Justice Department failed to redact her name, phone number and former addresses in the files it released. She added that the redaction errors weren't a one-time error. "When my name appeared in the third file release, it became difficult to believe that this was not intentional," she said. "Despite my lawyer repeatedly contacting the DOJ seeking protection, my information continued to be exposed." Blanche defended his handling of the Epstein files during his Wednesday confirmation hearing. He acknowledged redaction errors but said his staff worked to quickly correct them. Bensky also blasted Blanche for not meeting with survivors. "Todd Blanche has never attempted to listen to us," she said. "The crime victims, survivors in this room repeatedly asked to meet with Todd Blanche through multiple channels. He never responded." Several senators called on Blanche to commit to meeting with survivors during his Wednesday hearing. Blanche said his department had spoken with more than 30 representatives of dozens of victims