Senate Judiciary Democrats have invited Danielle Bensky, a survivor of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to testify against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his quest to lead the Justice Department permanently.
Bensky will sit on a panel of outside witnesses to be convened Thursday, the day after Blanche sits for his confirmation hearing before the panel.
Democrats decision to include her underscores their intent to make Blanche’s confirmation process about his handling of the release of the so-called Epstein files, which were rolled out late and with botched redactions.
“Dani Bensky is a brave survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes. Her name has been included in multiple batches of released Epstein Files, due to Todd Blanche’s failures,” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
“She’s attempted multiple times to redact her information without success,” Durbin added.
A group of Epstein survivors separately released a video Monday evening urging senators to oppose Blanche for his role in overseeing the haphazard release of Epstein materials in DOJ’s possession.
The minority witness list will also include Liz Oyer, a former DOJ pardon attorney, according to Durbin, saying in his statement she was “fired by Blanche for refusing to rubberstamp gun ownership rights to Mel Gibson, a convicted domestic violence abuser and friend of Donald Trump.”
“They will offer compelling testimony about the dangers of Todd Blanche weaponizing the Justice Department in service of Donald Trump, rather than the American people,” Durbin said of both Oyer and Bensky.
Republicans have not yet announced who they will invite to testify in support of Blanche, who is also currently serving as the deputy attorney general.
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